I Will Rise Up
by bluepenquin1998
Summary: SEQUEL TO SHADE. Queen Bee likes to think that she has broken me, but unfortunately for her, she hasn't. No, I was going to bring her down from the inside. I was going to take her down, by bringing her secrets to the Team. I hope to God that this works. Kaldur/OC & eventual Zatanna/OC. ON HIATUS
1. And so it begins

Chapter One

**And so it begins**

I run my hand through my sweat-soaked hair, soaked thanks to the hot sun. I had pulled off my vest top a long time ago, leaving me in a sports bra and leggings. The training 'mat' below is more like a thin of cloth that does nothing to protect me from the pain of getting slammed onto the ground, but not that it matters to me anymore. The mat was located in a small, closed off courtyard within palace walls and surrounded by the guards, so _she_ could make sure I didn't escape.

_She, _the woman who kidnapped me from my home and made me into her _puppet_, as she liked to believe.

_Queen Bee._

Of course, it wasn't her that took me from my home. Oh no, that was one of her loyal lackeys, but she gave the order. They took me from my home and brought me to Bialya, where they-

"Focus, _tonto_!"

A knife being slashed across my stomach grabs my attention, a cut that I barely flinch at. Pablo scowls down at me as he slashes at me again. This time however, I dodge the blow. I grab his arm and twist it, before pulling Pablo down and pressing his chest into the ground, still holding his arm.

He chuckled into the dirt. "You're good at this, _pajarita_." Pablo had been my…conditioner, so to speak. He had thrown a knife at me the first time we met. It only managed to graze my arm, thanks to my reflexes. If I hadn't dodged it, it would have lodged itself in my chest.

"I would be better if the sun wasn't so goddamn hot." I muttered before letting him up. He chuckled again and grins widely, showing his yellow-stained teeth.

"Unfortunately, _pajarita,_ I cannot control the weather." He replied. He called _pajarita, _little bird, from the moment we met. It annoyed me at first but now I just went with it. I learned early on that getting on Pablo's bad side wasn't a good idea. The Spaniard had a cruel streak the terrified some of the toughest guards, and I was stuck with him.

"Wish you could." I muttered as we walked off the mats and into the shade. Pablo liked to train me in the hot sun. He said it 'helped build resistance' or some bullshit like that.

"Oh stop pouting. Should I start calling you _pequeño_ instead?" Pablo replied, sending me a patronising smirk. I rolled my eyes and picked up my white shirt from the table, before pulling it on. "Be good, _parajita_. I will see you in the morning." Pablo added before giving me a two-fingered salute and gets escorted out by one of the soldiers. After training, Pablo goes back to his home, wherever that is. He's a secretive man.

Another soldier came to my side and he escorts me to my room. It's on one of the high floors of the palace. We walk in silence to my room, a small place with no windows, a mirror, sink, a bed and a closet, where I keep my clothes and weapons. I step in and the door is locked behind me. I can't help but roll my eyes. They think that this keeps me in my room.

Morons.

You see, the guards believe that I am 'obedient' enough to stay in my room. They still look the door, but they never realise I can picks locks. Queen Bee released me from Psimon's control a long time ago, believing that I was broken enough to obey without hesitation.

What a surprise she is in for.

I go over to the sink and turn on the taps, before soaking my face in cold water. The vicelike contraption grabbed my attention. The blue liquid floats beneath plastic clear covers, the liquid that gives me this power. It's been nearly three years.

Three long years.

My nightmares were no longer just blood and gunshots. They were swords slicing through flesh and needles piercing skin and _burningburningburning makeitstopmakeitstopMAKEITSTOP. _Nightmares that made me scream and cry for Scarlett to hug me and tell me that everything was okay.

A loud crack grabs my attention. I sigh when I realised that I had been griping the sink. The porcelain had cracked under my grip. The grey walls of my room were not helping me relax. I had to get out. I pulled out a bandage and wrapped it around the machine on my arm. Grabbing the pin and blue scarf, I picked the lock of my door and crept out.

With the security cameras facing away from my door and the chatter of the soldiers a distance away, I crept over to the window down the hallway. I throw open the window and, with a final check to see if I'm being watched, I leapt out of the window and _I'm flying and its good._

However, as great as it would be to fly, I can't. The rooftop of the palace was coming close and I landed in a crouch. I slipped down through my usual path, into an alley near the palace. I wrap the scarf around the lower half of my face, shielding it from view. I couldn't have any of the soldiers recognise me and report back to Queen Bee.

I keep to the less populated areas, where there are less people and fewer soldiers. While keeping my head down and drawing no attention to myself, a muffled scream from a short distance away grabs my attention. I break into a sprint and find the source of the scream, in another alley between two abandoned houses. A teenage girl was being pulled into the alley by a man holding a knife to her throat and covered her mouth with his hand. Fury shot through me at the sight.

"_[Shut it, you little bitch.]"_ He snarls at her in Bialyan, pressing the knife further into her throat. The sight of her tears makes my fury overflow. I creep up behind the man and get close to his ear.

"_[There are a few things that I truly despise.]" _I told him. _"[One of those things are men like __**you**__.]" _He whirls around and attempts to swipe at me with his knife. I smirked before grabbing his wrist and squeezing.

A loud crack echoes through the alley, followed by the man's wail. I've broken his wrist. _"[I-I'm s-sorry! P-p-please don't k-k-kill me!]" _ He begged, after falling on his knees. My eyes narrow and I bend down so I'm at his eye level.

"_[I won't.]"_ I grab his hand and twist his finger. He cries out again. _"[I will let you go, but if you do something like this again, I will find you and I will do far worse. Now go.]"_ I release his hand and he scrambled to his feet. I narrow my eyes at him and he runs off, cradling his broken wrist.

I turn around and see that the girl is now curled up in the corner, watching me with a terrified expression. I pull the scarf down and give her a reassuring smile. There's a schoolbag on the ground, the books spilling out. _"[Don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you. What's your name? Is this bag yours?]"_

"_[A'idah. Yes, i-it's mine]" _She told me in a quiet voice.I picked up the dark blue bag, that was adorned with different badges relating to various different bands.

"_[My name's Lila. Did that man hurt you A'idah?]"_ I asked. She shook her head and I sighed in relief. _"[Now A'idah, there are five things you should do if someone grabs you from behind. The first is to scream and make as much noise as you can, so someone can hear. If that doesn't work, slam your elbow into his chest, step on his toes, hit his nose with your elbow and hit his crotch as hard as you can because it takes a while for a man to recover from this. That should give you enough time to get away.]"_

"_[Chest, toes, nose, crotch.]" _A'idah repeated. _"[T-thank you for helping me.]"_ She gave me a shaky smile. _"[I live a short distance away from here but would you mind walking with me till there?]"_ She asked.

I smiled at her. _"[Of course not. I will have to linger a short distance away though.]"_ I told her. I grabbed her hand and helped the girl to her feet before handing her back the bag. She walked to the street before looking over her shoulder to me. I nod and give her another reassuring smile. She started to walk and I followed, pulling the scarf back over my face.

I followed the girl through the streets before she stopped at a small house. She walked to the front door and looked over at me. I nodded at her and she smiled back before entering the house. The smile made me feel better. Even if Queen Bee has pulled me out of my old life, that didn't mean I couldn't help people.

When I saw that A'idah has made it back into her home, I turn away. It was time to get back to the palace.

…

I climbed back in through the window. The corridor was clear, thankfully. I unlocked the door of my room and went in.

"Enjoy your walk?" Sam greeted me, from my bed which he was lying on.

"Get your dirty boots off my bed." I replied.

"Hello to you too Lila." Sam rolled his eyes. Samuel Evans, another one of Queen Bee's 'projects'. He wasn't a super soldier; he was part of a different project called 'Invisibility Cloak'. He also was a rare case. There was something weird with his genes or pheromones or something odd like that, because he couldn't be controlled by Queen Bee. This meant that he had to be under Psimon's control most of the time.

He was one of the only people I could trust here, as he wanted to escape too. He had told me that men had come to his house six years ago, killing his parents and taking him away. He hoped to God that they never found his sister Skye, who wasn't in the house that night.

"Hi Sammy." I replied, giving him a wide, toothy grin.

"How many times have I told you not to call that?" He asked, as he swung around so that he was now just sitting on my bed.

"Once or twice." I grinned even wider. He scoffed and threw my pillow at me. I laughed and dodged it. Sam hated it when people called him Sammy, he always insisted on people calling him Sam, Samuel or nothing at all.

"Get dressed you numpty, Queen Bee wants to see us." My smile promptly fell and Sam sighed, running a hand through his short brown hair.

"Why does she want to see us?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I'll leave you to it though." I nodded and with that, Sam got off the bed and left the room. I turned to closet and pulled out my uniform. I pulled off my white vest and started to change.

My uniform was plain black trousers; those clung to my legs but were stretchy enough so that I could move. Black boots that ended bellow my knee. A long sleeved black shirt, with a gold band across my chest, which separated my chest plate from the rest of the uniform. Black gloves, with black gauntlets and a hood were attached to the shirt. A belt rested on my hips, with my knives and weapons. I attached the katana to my back and picked up the mask. The mask was completely white, apart from the gold edging around the eye holes, edges and raised lips.

I took one quick look at myself in the mirror. I had changed in the three years I had been here. My hair had grown longer, like Queen Bee liked it. She had told me _'Who wouldn't trust the girl with the long curls and pretty blue eyes?'_. The dark circles under my eyes had become more pronounced and I had lost the childlike roundness on my face. I sighed and placed the mask on my face. _Hurry it up Lila, she'll get pissed if you don't move. _

Somebody knocked the door. _"[Nightfall! Queen Bee wants to see you!]"_ A voice barked in Bialyan. That was my codename, Nightfall. I quickly stuffed a back USB pen, I had hidden in my closet, and stuffed it in my belt. I opened the door and was greeted by two Bialyan soldiers. We walked in silence to Queen Bee's office. She rarely used the throne room to give Sam and I our assignments.

The office was large and had wide windows, which overlooked the palace courtyard. There was a painting on the wall, identical to the stained glass window outside.

Sam was already in the room when I arrived. We nodded at each other as I joined his side. Queen Bee entered the room and we knelt before her. "One of my former advisors, Philip Beaulieu, has betrayed me and is planning to go to the U.N in three days' time. He is residing in Gotham at the moment." My eyes widened behind my mask. "You two will be taking care of him before then."

"Yes my Queen." Sam and I replied in identical monotone voices.

"Good. The jet is in the hanger. You will be leaving in five minutes." She replied. With that, the soldiers escorted us out of the room and into the large hanger, hidden behind the rock wall. Sam took a seat at the front to fly the jet while I searched through it to make sure there were no bugs.

I found three, which I crushed under my boot, before making my way back up to the front where Sam was. "Clear?" He asked.

"Clear." I replied.

"You have the USB?" He asked. I nodded, a smirk coming across my face. On the USB were things that Queen Bee wanted to keep hidden. The child trafficking rings, the weapon smuggling, the cruelty of the soldiers. There was also the possibility of a shipping of unknown products, something that I knew very little about.

In Gotham, I was intending to give it to Robin. Well, Nightwing now actually. This was my plan. This is why I didn't try to escape. I was going to expose Queen Bee and her secrets, bring her down from the inside. Sam, who despised Queen Bee as much as I did, was helping me with this plan.

"I have to ask," Sam's voice took me from my thoughts, "Why do this? Why stay and expose her secrets instead of escaping?" We were now flying over the sea to Metropolis. In the files Queen Bee had given us, it had detailed her plan. We were to land in Metropolis and accompany Lex Luthor to the party where Beaulieu was throwing in his penthouse apartment. There, we would kill him.

"I've been hunted all my life, Sam. By Queen Bee and CADMUS but not anymore. I want to turn the tables, make them be the hunted this time, by the team and the League. Queen Bee needs to be stopped and I can't do that by escaping. I have to expose her." I explained. Sam nodded, satisfied with the answer. We settle into a comfortable silence, before I get up

"I need to record a message for Nightwing. Back in a few." I told him. He nodded and I went into one of the back rooms of the jet. After checking for bugs and finding that it was clear, I sit at the table and switch on the microphone in my gauntlet.

"Nightwing, its Lila….."

…

**GUESS WHO'S BAAAAAAAAAACK!**

**Hello to you all, and welcome to the sequel of Shade, I Will Rise Up! So yeah, Lila's now a super soldier assassin person. Also, this is starts on December 27****th**** 2015, four days before the beginning of Season Two. There's also Sam, who will be helping. Sam's a sweetie. So yeah, if you enjoyed then please review and I hoped you guys like the first chapter! Sorry if it's a bit boring but there is plenty more to come, trust me! Also not sure if should could keep this at T rating or maybe bumb it up to M? What would you guys think of a rating increase if it meant like more violence and Kaldur/Lila smut?  
><strong>


	2. The Masks We Wear

Chapter Two

**The Masks We Wear **

Even though I despised Luthor, I had to admit, the man did know how to travel in style. As soon as Sam and I arrived in metropolis, we were told to change into civilian clothes and were herded onto a private jet.

I felt constricted in my tight pencil skirt and blouse and it was obvious that Sam felt the same way. He kept tugging at his tie. Sam had told me many times that he hated ties as much as he hated being called Sammy. We sat in soft, cream-coloured leather seats and were handed glasses of champagne by a red-haired flight attendant.

Luthor arrived five minutes after we did, with a scowl on his features and Mercy following him close behind. He threw himself down on the seat opposite Sam and I while Mercy handed us a file each, PHILIP BEAULIEU printed on the front in bold letters. I opened the file and scanned the page. Map of his home, information on his guards, information about Beaulieu himself, which I skipped. I preferred knowing the bare minimum about a target. It made this it…easier to eliminate him if he was just a face.

The plane took off and Luthor nodded towards a man at the back. With that, the flight attendants and guards left whatever they had been carrying and walked out of the room. This left Sam and I alone with Luthor and Mercy.

"There has been a change of planes." Luthor said, his scowl deepening. "The ball is no longer being held at Beaulieu's penthouse. It seems Bruce Wayne has gotten involved and the ball is now being held in Wayne Manor." Luthor spits out Wayne's name with an almost surprising amount of venom.

"Will we be eliminating Beaulieu at Wayne Manor?" I asked.

"Oh no my dear, that is far too risky. I've had suspicions that Wayne works with The Batman and I can't have anyone interrupting this, especially not The Batman. I would not want to disappoint Queen Bee." He told us, a slight smirk coming across his face at the mention of Queen Bee. The look in his eyes makes me want to gag. That has certainly cheered him up.

"Will we still be attending the ball?" Sam asked.

"Of course, my dear boy, we have to keep up appearances! Instead, you will be gathering information about Beaulieu, and then you will go to his home tonight. How you eliminate him is not up to me of course, I will not take that away from you pair." He smiled. "It's also a masquerade ball and formal attire. That has all been taken care of and is waiting in the rooms of the hotel we are staying in. You will be going by Elisabetta Gardinier and Pierre Hardy, the President and Vice-President of the France branch of Lex Corp."

Sam and I nod once he has finished speaking. Luthor smiles and added "Good. Now relax, we don't arrive in Gotham for another half hour." With that, Luthor takes another sip of his champagne and sat back in his chair.

We finally arrived at the hotel and Luthor had left us alone. I pulled my dress for the ball out of the closet as Sam searches through the room for bugs. I unzip the garment bag and raise my eyebrows at the dress. Its floor length and dark red, which has a coat of glitter on it and sleeves that reach my wrists. It's a beautiful dress but that isn't what makes my eyebrows rise. It's how low the neckline is. How much cleavage did they want me to display?

"I think Luthor wants my assets on display tonight." I told Sam, showing him the neckline with a raised eyebrow which earns a snort from Sam.

"Charming." He replied, while pushing open the window and dropping the bug out of it. "I'm just glad we're away from Luthor, he's such a creep."

"It's the smirk that creeps me out the most." I replied as I put the dress on the bed before going to get the shoes.

"Oh my God the smirk! It made me want to jump in front of you to shield you from the creep!" Sam exclaimed.

"I am perfectly capable of looking after myself." I told him, shooting Sam a frown as I place the red heels on the floor before putting the red and gold mask on the bed.

"I know, I know you are perfectly capable of breaking all of Luthor's fingers if he even put one toe out of place." Sam said while grabbing the suit from his closet.

"And thank you for acknowledging that." I replied, giving him a grin.

"Anytime darling, anytime." He grinned before going into the bathroom to change. He shut the door and I pulled off my blouse and skirt, before pulling the dress on over my head. I tug at the neckline and frown.

"I really hope I don't have a mishap with the dress tonight." I call out to Sam.

"But imagine the look on Luthor's face if it did happen! Oh God I'm gonna piss myself." He barely makes out the last sentence, he's laughing so hard. I grinned. This, the jokes and the laughter and the talking, this was what kept me sane. I don't think I would have made it through those years if Sam wasn't there. The loneliness itself would have been crippling.

I sighed and got back to dressing, trying not to think about it. A knock on the bathroom door gets my attention. "You can come in Sam." I called. He opened the door and entered through a cloud of smoke. "Nice entrance." I added.

"I know, the smoke made it so dramatic, I love it!" He replied. I rolled my eyes and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I pull of the dress and switch on the shower, before abandoning my underwear and stepping into the shower. As the water washes away the sweat, I look down and sigh at the scars I had gained over the years.

A long line down the side of my thigh, from my first encounter with a guard, on my very first mission. I had narrowly missed being shot but the bullet luckily just grazed my thigh. There are thin scars around my ankles and some around my wrists, although they are not as severe as the ones around my ankles, caused by rope burn when they had left me in a forest, tied up and blindfolded, and left me to find a way out by myself. "Survival" training. Nicks and scratches on my hands and knuckles from training. There are more but I don't wish to count them.

I step out of the shower and dry myself off, before dressing myself. Putting on the mask of the sweet and polite Elisabetta Gardinier.

Fun.

* * *

><p>I would be lying if I said Wayne Manor wasn't impressive. While I lived in Gotham, I would see it passing by or on the news but to see it up close well, I was very impressed. I arrived on the arm of Lex Luthor and Sam followed me close behind. Sam wore a plain black mask while Luthor wore none.<p>

The room the ball was being held in was large and had chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There was a small group playing classical music and people were already dancing. There were also people standing in groups while some sat. Servers walked around, serving drinks and appetizers.

I spotted Beaulieu speaking to two others who I couldn't see, as their backs was facing me. It seemed Luthor had spotted him too, as he started to pull me towards him. "Mr Beaulieu!" He called. Beaulieu was short for his age, with greying hair and silver glasses. He turned to face Luthor, as did the man he was speaking to.

"Mr Luthor! How good of you to come." He said with a kind smile. He still had retained his French accent.

"Mr Luthor." Bruce Wayne said, giving Luthor a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Yes, how good." I noticed Richard Grayson, who was standing beside him, watching Sam and I.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly ignore your invitation! May I ask, why the change of venue?" Luthor asked.

"Oh, Mr Wayne kindly offered his home for the occasion and I couldn't possibly say no, his manor is magnificent!" Beaulieu replied. Wayne smiled at the compliment.

"Yes, yes. Now, I would like to introduce the new President of the France Branch of Lex Corp, Miss Elisabetta Gardinier, and Vice President, Pierre Hardy." Luthor introduced.

"Ah, from the home country!" Beaulieu exclaimed. "How wonderful!" Beaulieu kissed me on both cheeks.

"A pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Beaulieu." I said to him, my accent matching his.

"You too, my dear." He smiled before kissing Sam on both cheeks as well.

"Now, I would also like to introduce you to Mr Bruce Wayne." Luthor added. I smiled widely at Wayne before kissing him on both cheeks.

"Of course, I already know of you Monsieur Wayne, who hasn't?" I told him. Wayne chuckled.

"Miss Gardinier and Mr Hardy-"

"Elisabetta, please call me Elisabetta." I clarified.

"And call Pierre." Sam added in his French accent.

"Of course. Elisabetta and Pierre, I would like you to meet my son Richard Grayson and his date Barbara Gordon." Wayne introduced. I quickly kissed both on the cheeks.

"I have to admit, I'm slightly surprised that you became President of Lexcorp at this age." Grayson said.

"Elisabetta graduated early and top of her class. She rose through Lexcorp's ranks quickly. Elisabetta is one of our best and brightest." Luthor told him.

It's times like these where I am so thankful for my acting skills. I blushed and looked away. "You are too kind Monsieur Luthor. Besides, will you not be taking over Wayne Enterprises soon, Monsieur Grayson?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from me.

"Not for a while I hope." Grayson smiled.

"Not while I'm still on my feet." Wayne added with a similar charming smile.

"Of course, of course." I replied.

"My dear, would you like to dance?" Beaulieu asked, holding out his hand.

"I would love to." I replied, taking Beaulieu's hand. He lead me out onto the dancefloor as a blonde woman in a red dress walked over to the group.

"Vicki Vale. She is a reporter. Do you mind if I speak in French, my dear?" Beaulieu asked.

"[_If you would like to Monsieur.]" _I replied in French.

Beaulieu smiled as we started to waltz. "[_Please, call me Phillip._]"

"[_Is your wife not here with you tonight Phillip?_]" I asked.

"[_Ah, unfortunately not. My dear wife and I divorced in August._]" He admitted, a sad look in his eyes made me almost pity him. I stiffened. Snap out of it, you can't think like that.

"[_Oh, how sad. I'm so sorry._]" I replied.

"[_It's fine. We just decided it was time, but enough about sad stories. Tell me more about yourself Elisabetta._]" Beaulieu said.

"[_Oh no Phillip, I would much rather talk about your work though. Tell me more about your charity work._]" I said, giving him a sweet smile.

"[_Are you sure my dear? I don't want to be awfully boring._]" He replied.

"[_Oh no Phillip, I would love to hear about it!_]" I told him. He smiled and launched into a story. I nodded and smiled at the right intervals, while studying the man. He was in his mid-fifties and didn't seem overly fit. He looked like the type who lived in great luxury and that was not surprising. Queen Bee paid quite a large amount to her advisors. I had to admit, for a man who was in great danger, Beaulieu did not seem afraid. What the poor man didn't realise was that Queen Bee took betrayal very seriously. He would learn the consequences soon enough.

"Mind if I cut in?" We looked up to see Richard Grayson, who gave us both a charming smile.

"Of course! We must speak later, my dear." Beaulieu told me. I nodded and smiled before Grayson placed his hand on my waist and started to dance with me.

"Are you enjoying the party?" He asked.

"Yes, your father has thrown a wonderful party, Monsieur Grayson." I said, flattery dripping off my tongue. "Are you enjoying the party?"

"Kind of. Events like these aren't really my type of thing." He admitted.

"That's understandable. I am not a….fan of balls myself." I replied. This was actually the first fancy ball I had ever been to. I went to dances in school and parties, but nothing on this scale, with violins and champagne.

"Hopefully you won't have to go to too many." He said.

"Hopefully, Monsieur Grayson." I smiled.

"Please, call me Dick. So Miss Gardinier-"

I cut him off. "Like I told your father, please call me Elisabetta."

"Elisabetta, have you visited Gotham before?" He asked, watching me with a curious expression that made me feel slightly on edge.

"I'm afraid not Monsieur, sorry Dick. Why do you ask?" I asked.

"Just wondering. It's just…you remind of someone I used to know." He admitted, now looking sheepish.

I raised my eyebrows. What on earth was he talking about? "And who was this?" I asked.

I narrowed my eyes slightly, studying Grayson. Why did he seem so familiar? I must have seen him on the TV or something. "Just this girl." He replied.

I swear, if I have to listen to some sob story about an ex-girlfriend who left him, I am going to turn on my heel and walk away. "An old flame?" I asked. _Please say no. Please say no._

To my surprise, he let out a loud bark of laughter which earned looks from some of the couples dancing near us, which included Sam who was dancing with Vicki Vale. He gave me a questioning look and I gave a slight shrug. "Oh God no! She was just an old friend of mine. Sorry, sorry, I just think that if I told her that I had feelings for her, she would laugh in my face."

_Thank you whatever deity was listening._ "Oh, I'm sure she wouldn't." I replied.

"She might not laugh but she definitely wouldn't believe me. She was dating a friend of mine, well before she disappeared ." Grayson told me. His stare was kind of making me uncomfortable now and I swear, I knew this boy from somewhere.

"What happened to her?" I asked.

Grayson frowned. "I don't know."

"What a shame. What was her name?" I asked.

"Lila."

…

_Nightwing?_

My heart sank. He couldn't reveal my cover, not here. But dear God, how I wanted to rip off my mask and show him it was me. I wanted to scream, to cry. I could go home. I could go to Scarlett if I showed Dick it was me. It was Lila. But I couldn't. I knew I couldn't. They would find me and the punishment would be far worse than anything I had ever experienced.

I decided on what I had to do. I had to get away.

"Excuse me Dick, I am feeling parched. I must get a drink." I said, pulling out of his grasp. The blank mask on my face (hopefully) wasn't displaying any panic.

"Wait, please." He called, grabbing my wrist. Not a good idea. Grabbing me without permission made Nightfall come out.

"Get your hands off me!" I snarled, losing the French accent and the sweetness of Elisabetta Gardinier. Out came Nightfall, all fury and sharp teeth. Grayson let go of my wrist and stepped back, looking slightly intimidated.

"I'm so sorry, that was out of line." He said, his cheeks turning pink.

"Go back to your date, Monsieur Grayson." I told him, the French accent now back. I walked away, rubbing my wrist. Sam had stopped dancing now and was waiting near the table with two glasses of champagne.

"You look like you need this." He said, handing the glass to me. I thanked him before downing half the glass.

* * *

><p>It was two a.m. before we left the hotel as Nightfall and Blackout. We stuck to the shadows, our dark uniforms making it easier to blend in. Sam was slightly ahead of me, dressed in grey and black. His mask gave me the creeps. It was silver, with dark eyes and a sinister grin. It reminded me of something from a horror movie. His black hood covered his head. When I first met Sam he was dressed as Blackout. It was kind of intimidating.<p>

We arrived at Beaulieu's penthouse. We slipped in through an open window into an empty hallway. Having memorised where the security cameras were, thanks to the maps Luthor provided, we slipped through easily. We arrived at the elevator, planning to go up the shaft. The security guard was asleep at his desk. Sam and I went over to the desk. He put the security cameras on a loop while I injected the security guard that would knock him out for a longer time. We couldn't have him interrupt us.

We went back to the elevator and I pulled open the door easily, thanks to the strength the serum gave me. Sam gave me a slight nod and we pulled out our grappling hooks before shooting them up the elevator shaft. We rarely needed to talk during missions. This wasn't our first. We reached the top of the shaft and swung in sync towards the doors. I balanced on the tip of my toes, on the ledge, as I pulled the doors open and was greeted by the sight of an empty penthouse.

The penthouse was fancy, chandeliers hung from the ceilings and there were large windows overlooking the city. It was silent, apart from the sounds of soft snores. We prowled through the house, silent as mice. A bedroom door was ajar, the snores coming from behind it. I slid through the door, greeted by the sight of Beaulieu sprawled out on the bed.

Sam and I exchanged a look, debating on the circumstances. Queen Bee wanted him to die in pain for of his betrayal. Definitely not poison, that could be traced in the blood. Not knives, that was way too messy. Sam crept over to the bed and picked up a pillow, before glancing up at me. I nodded and Sam pressed the pillow down.

He woke up immediately, the pillow muffling the shout. Bile rose in my throat as Beaulieu struggled and squirmed. Sam barely moved. A few moments passed and the struggling became weaker and weaker, until it eventually stopped. Sam held the pillow down for a few more moments, just to be sure. He removed it and Beaulieu's cold eyes stared back at us.

Sam placed his fingers on Beaulieu's throat just to be sure while I spotted a picture out of the corner of my eye. Beaulieu with a little boy, with identical features and green eyes. It was in a circus, the tent behind them and the little boy holding a green balloon.

A creak made my head snap up, fingers wrapping around a knife, to be greeted by the boy from the picture. _No._

The little boy opened his mouth. "[_Papa_?]" _Nonononono._

He stepped closer, a curious smile on my face and a teddy bear clutched in his hands_. _"[_Who are you?_]" Every instinct I had shouted to kill the boy, leave no witnesses. But this was a little boy, a little boy who was not involved in his father's business. An innocent little boy.

I crouched down to his level and he reached out. My breath hitched as he touched my mask. "[_Are you a superhero?_]" I couldn't find my voice, not while I wanted to scream. There was a voice in my head, screaming at me to make up my mind as the boy played with my gauntlets. "[_You are!_]" He added excitedly.

"[_Papa would want to meet you! I'll wake him up!_]" He reached forward and at that I scooped the boy up into my arms.

"[_Your papa is sleeping, leave him be. What's your name?_]" I asked.

"[_Benjamin!_] He replied. "[_Where are we going?_]" I walked out into the hallway and towards an open door. I could see a child's room in it. "[_Are we gonna play?_]" Benjamin asked excitedly. I placed him on the bed. "[_Aw I don't wanna go to bed! I wanna play with you!_]"

"[_But it's time to sleep and I have to go._]" I replied, pulling the red blanket over him. He pouted.

"[_Can't you stay for a while?_]" He asked. I stood there and gave him a long look that told him all he needed to know. "[_Aw….Will I see you again?_]" _Dear God I hope not._ Benjamin yawned and closed his eyes. "[_Bye-Bye Hero Lady._]"

I sighed, and gently brushed the hair out of his eyes. "[_Goodnight little one._]" With that, I turned and walked out of the room, closing the door gently. This wouldn't end well for me if someone found out I had left a witness alive, but I had to. It was a child, just a child.

When I got back to Beaulieu's room, Sam was gone. I was about to leave, but not before taking one last look at Beaulieu. Sam had shut his eyes, making him look like he was sleeping. My breath hitched as a shadow appeared in front of me.

I wasn't alone.

"You left the boy." A familiar voice said. _Nightwing_. I didn't reply, instead choosing to turn and look at the hero in behind me, his hand wrapping around his escrima sticks. He launched at me, throwing a series of punches and kicks. The style was familiar, I remembered it from training. He was bigger now, not the scrawny kid she was used to. The boy with the cackle and infectious grin. I dodged his moves easily and grabbed his arm, twisting it around which earned a faint cry of pain from Nightwing.

I swept his legs out from under him and took this moment to turn and leap out of the window, landing on the rooftop nearby. I could feel the USB drive in my pocket, its weight feeling heavier. I just had to get close enough to put it in his belt.

He landed a short distance away from me and launched at me again. I allowed him to back me into a corner, his wrist pressed onto my throat. He stopped for a moment and narrowed his eyes, studying me. "Who are you?" He mumbled.

_If only you knew._

While Nightwing was distracted, I took the opportunity to slip the USB drive into his belt. This was it. This was the beginning of my plan. Now I just had to get out of there. Nightwing's hand was moving towards me, towards my mask. I grabbed the hand and twisted it, flipping him over. He landed on his back with a grunt and I stepped around him, heading for the edge of the roof.

This time he was prepared.

A birdarang landed on a telephone pole beside me and exploded. The blast sent me backwards, but I managed to flip into a one-handed cartwheel and landed on my feet. He came at me and this time, I fought harder. I had to get away, and if this meant working with my full power then so be it. A punch to his gut made him stumble back slightly, surprised at my strength. I started to hit harder and harder, backing him into a corner this time. My hand caught on the wall, making the rock crack and parts of it fly off. My attentions turned to Nightwing. He was tired now and this could be my perfect opportunity. I brought my leg up in a kick and slammed it into his chin, before dropping a smoke bomb. As he started to cough and the heat vision turning on in my mask, I turned and leapt off the roof.

My jaw tightened slightly as I realised that this was my friend that I had hurt. The friend who made me laugh with the pranks he pulled on Wally and jokes he cracked. Thinking of him made me think of Kaldur. Oh, Kaldur. I missed him. _Stop it Lila, you're distracting yourself._

I snapped back to attention and saw how distracted I had become. I was nearing the ground now. I pressed a button on my gauntlets and a line shot out of it, wrapping around the telephone pole nearest. My backup grappling hook. With that, I started to make my way back to the hotel.

…

***Whispers* Is anyone still there? **

**Oh my God I am so sorry this update took ages! It was a very busy month for me but I promise you I will try to update sooner. Also, *looks at response to first chapter* *faints***

**12 reviews, 17 favourites and 21 follows? I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH OMG. **

**Also I decided to take murdercrowther's advice and keep this as a T until the chapter where I will increase it to M. So yeah this will be T for a few chapters.**

**Molly Grace 16- Thank you! It will be a few chapters until they meet up but I promise you it will be soon!**

**LadyFelton1994- There will be one for Kaldur and Lila but not for a few chapters!**

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**patattack- Thank you! I'm glad you think she has matured because I was really hopping that people saw that she had.**

**Guest- Will do!**

**murdercrowther- I'm really sorry it seems that way! It will be a darker story compared to Shade but I will try to incorporate some funny moments just so it doesn't seem too depressing! Also I can confirm Lila will know **

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**Olivia- Updated! Sorry it was a late one, I'll try to update soon!**


	3. Shifted

**Warning: This chapter does deal with dark themes so I'm just warning you now.**

Chapter Three

**Shifted**

A few days after Sam and I returned from Gotham, we were called into the hanger. When we arrived Queen Bee was waiting there, her guards behind her. We came to a stop, waiting for her to speak. "Nightfall, Blackout, I'd like to introduce you to your new… partner." The guards separated and two came forward, holding a struggling man.

I raised my eyebrows. He was dressed like one of the guards, what on earth did she mean by new companion? The queen rolled her eyes and a guard pulled on a baton. He flicked a switch and electricity crackled up it. He slammed the baton into the struggling guard's side. My eyebrows rose even further as he let out a rather feminine whimper. Then the guard did a very odd thing.

He transformed into a teenage girl.

It looked like his skin was peeling, but instead of falling off, it just changed the caucasian man into a dark skinned girl, who looked around fifteen years old and was wearing a dark blue shirt and grey shorts. My jaw tightened. She had brought another person into this, a girl who was younger than I was when I was brought here. It was hard for me, but for her it would be much worse.

"Aurora Barton, a shapeshifter." Queen Bee explained. "You two will be training her, while the scientists…..._adjust_ her to life here." That didn't sound good. I seemed to remember words like that when I was brought here. Words like that meant experiments.

"Now," She turned to the guards, "Give them some space. Form a ring. I want to see how the girl fights." My back stiffened as the guards stepped back, creating a circle.

"You want us to fight her?!" Sam exclaimed, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop them. Queen Bee turned, giving him a cold glare. No one dared to question the queen.

"I do." She replied as the guards placed hands on their guns. He shrank back, not wanting to be punished. "Do you have a problem with that Blackout?" She asked.

"No, my queen." He replied, his voice now cold and indifferent. _Pretend you are indifferent. Pretend you don't care. Then you will keep your life._ Those were the words Sam told me when I first arrived.

"Then hold your tongue." She said, the venom dripping off of her tongue. "Shall we get started?"

"No weapons." I said in a quiet voice.

She turned to face me, an eyebrow raised. "What was that?"

"If we fight her then we use no weapons." I replied. "It's unfair." _But then again, when have you ever been fair?_

The Queen considered it for a moment before doing something that I didn't expect. She agreed. "Interesting. I'll allow it. Oh and Nightfall? If you go easy on her, I won't be pleased." She walked out of the ring and stood behind the guards, who had given her plenty of room to see. "Nightfall, you go first. Now begin."

Sam and I exchanged a look, not sure what to do. Aurora was trying to claw her way out of the ring, grabbing and pulling at the guards. They barely batted an eyelid at the girl and instead kicked her back into the centre of the ring. Tears ran down her face as she gave a terrified look to Sam and I.

"I said begin!" Queen Bee's voice brought us to attention.

I took a wary step forward towards the girl and she scrambled back. "Please, please." She begged. If we refused then this meant punishment for us, including Aurora. None of us wanted that. I advanced forward as the girl scrambled backwards, sobbing and clinging to one of the soldiers.

"Please, I'll do anything, just take me home! I just wanna go home, please!" Aurora begged, after the soldier shoved her off him. The girl had landed on her stomach, sprawled out on the ground.

Even though I couldn't see her, I could feel Queen Bee roll her eyes. "Oh for God's sake, don't just stand there!" She called, sounding annoyed. Aurora clenched her jaw and sniffed, before scrambling to feet and hitting my arm. It was like a gentle tap.

I sighed as she hit me again, barely moving me from the spot. The soldiers started to laugh and jeer, telling me to 'teach her a lesson' and calling the girl a 'stupid bitch'. My eyes flicked up to Queen Bee's, noticing that she was becoming agitated. Time to fight back.

As Aurora brought her hand up, I caught her wrist. It wasn't a tight grip, like the grip I had with the man on the street. She brought up her other hand to hit with and I caught her wrist. She started to struggle and scream. For the first time, I had a proper look in her eyes and I didn't like what I saw. The same terrified look I had. My mind flashed back to when I was first brought here.

_Scrambling away from the soldiers. Get beaten down by an opponent who managed to appear when I wasn't ready. Laughter and catcalls filling my ears as my opponent sliced my skin. Vicious words and jeers as I lay bleeding on the ground. _

I snapped back to reality and swept her legs out from under her, making Aurora land with a cry. The soldiers roared with laughter as she curled up on the ground, trying to become smaller. "Pathetic." Queen Bee spat. "Now you Blackout." Their fight had the exact same results: Aurora on the ground, sobbing quietly. The soldiers enjoyed the show, their smiles cruel.

"You tried, my dear, but there was no way you could beat my assassins." Queen Bee said, patronisingly petting Aurora's head. "This is why they will be training you. To become as strong as they are. Take Aurora to her room." She commanded the soldiers before turning to us. "Nightfall and Blackout, you are dismissed."

* * *

><p>"<em>She's a child. This isn't right." The Doctor snapped. I stared at the bright lights above me, the only thing I could make out through my tears. The pain from my last injection still seething in my veins. <em>

"_She's hardly a child, and we can't go against this! This is orders from the Queen." The Doctor at my side replied calmly._

"_Please….stop." I begged, managing to stop choking on my own blood. ""Please."_

"_I'm sorry." The woman said in a voice that didn't sound terribly apologetic, brushing my hair off my sweat soaked forehead. "We can't."_

"_We saw what happened to Samuel, why are we letting this happen again?" The Doctor hissed._

"_Do you want to keep your head? This is the Queen's orders, we can't go against them." The woman replied. "Besides, she be better after all of this." _

"_Better, better?! In what world would that count as better?!" The Doctor snarled._

"_You'll see." She replied, her voice dripping with contempt. "Now relax, it's time for your next injection."_

"_No, no, no, no,no please don't-" I begged, using whatever energy I had left to squirm and wrestle out of her grip. I felt the needle pierce my skin. I started to scream again. _

I sat up with a gasp, feeling air in my mouth and not blood. I swung my legs off the bed and sat there for a few minutes. That wasn't the worst of the treatments and it definitely wasn't the last. I went to the sink and splashed my face with water. _There's blood, there's so much blood on my hands and on my face and in my mouth-_

S_NAP OUT OF IT!_

I pull on my uniform, eager to feel the knives on my fingers. To turn robotic again. _Suck it up Archer. Don't be weak in front of them. _A soldier knocks on the door. Well, more like he punches it, before shouting that training was starting now and to hurry my ass up. I walked out of the door and the soldiers marched me into the courtyard. Aurora was on her knees, a split lip and scowl marking her features.

"So what are we going to start with?" She called. "Are you going to beat me up again or are you just going to kill me?" I raised an eyebrow at words, which quickly turned into a frown as she was hit with the butt of a gun.

"Don't speak out of turn." He snarled at her. Aurora shrank.

A snort makes my head snap up. My eyes flicker to Pablo, who was leaning against a pillar and watching the exchange. "_[Will you not be helping?]"_ I asked, earning a chuckle from him.

"_[Ah, I'm afraid not parajita. You're on your own.]"_ He replied. I narrow my eyes at the man. He finds this amusing. _Bastard, bastard, bastard._

I turned back to Aurora, watching her closely. "Get up." I ordered before turning to the guard. "Let her go." He releases her, but not before shoving Aurora forward. She's wearing grey scrubs, the same thing I had to wear when I first arrived. I could see the bruises on her arms, little pinpricks that indicated where they had taken blood and where they had injected her. "Hit me." I ordered.

She froze. "What?!"

"Hit me." I repeated. She gave me a wide eyed look before attempting to slam her fist into my face. I caught it easily. "Your alignment is wrong." I corrected it quickly. "Do it again."

We continue at this for hours, her trying to hit me while I correct her form and show how to make the moves deadlier. She looked ready to collapse. Aurora must have managed to gain some spirit in those hours because she snarled in a mocking tone "Why are you training me? Shouldn't you be off killing people like the big badass assassin that you are?"

I raised my eyebrows in amusement and the girl actually manages to slam her fist into my chest plate. She sprung away, clutching at her hand. "Jesus, what are you made of? Steel?"

I smirked and shook my head. "Good try. We will continue training tomorrow." Aurora gave me a surprised look at the words.

_I'm not as cold as I seem._

* * *

><p>"<em>Kill the woman." Pablo ordered, making the woman howl louder through her gag.<em>

"_No." I replied, my eyes fixed on the shrieking and squirming woman._

_Pablo grabs my hair and yanks me towards his mouth. "Do it. Do it or its back into the lab for another training exercise." He hisses in my ear. I let out a frightened sob. I don't want to do that. I don't want to go back. But my eyes keep seeing the woman and there's a voice in my head screaming at me not to do it._

_But there's a whisper that's saying to do it and it's getting louder and louder and louder._

_I throw the knife and it slices through the woman's throat. She falls with a gurgle._

I wake with a scream.

Her eyes are forever imprinted in my mind. A desperate, pleading look. _Don't do this, please._ After, I had fallen on my knees and screamed into my hands that smothered my mouth. Pablo turned to the guards and said "_A first kill can do that to someone."_

I tug on my uniform and clench my jaw. Suck it up Archer. It was about a week after the first training session with Aurora and we were moving onto weaponry. I still hadn't had the chance to speak to Sam alone yet about a topic that we really needed to talk about.

Aurora couldn't stay and, at the first chance we had, we would get here out of Bialya. The question was how?

I frowned when I walked in, catching sight of Aurora. As the week had went on her condition had grown worse steadily. Her tanned skin now looked grey and her cheeks were sunken. That only made me more determined to get here out of there, but first of all I had to find out if she was getting a steady supply of food. Sam and I had mush pushed in on trays, through a flap in our door. The mush had the perfect nutrition count to make sure we were healthy.

I closed my eyes as Sam showed Aurora how to use the gun. While I was good with my throwing knives, you should see Sam with a sniper rifle. When I first arrived they had tried to get me to use them. I refused and was punished. Queen Bee agreed to my request to not use guns, thankfully. Sam was left to use them.

Sam made sure she was holding her gun at the correct angle, murmuring words of encouragement to her. Aurora still was uneasy around us but she preferred our company over the soldiers.

We change soon after. It was my turn to show Aurora how to use the throwing knives. "So what do you think my super-secret codename will be?" She asked, her voice sounding more like a wheeze. It amazed me how she could still make jokes.

"I don't know, how about silence?" Sam teased.

"Might be good actually." She replied. "Introduce a little irony, since I don't shut up." I chuckled and she shot me a surprised look. "I didn't know you could do that." Aurora said in a teasing tone, making Sam laugh.

"I feel like I should be offended." I replied.

She shrugged but smiled slightly. "Probably."

* * *

><p>In the weeks that follow we steal food from the kitchens and give it to Aurora. She looks slightly healthier.<p>

* * *

><p>It's at the beginning of February when Sam and I finally have a moment alone. We had been sent to pick up the cargo being delivered by boom tube, in the Bialyan Desert at night. Sam and I stood around waiting for the arrival of said cargo.<p>

"She can't stay." I said, breaking the silence. I crossed my arms, trying to get some warmth. The desert was colder at night.

"I know that." He replied. "But how do you suggest we get her out? We can't exactly get her to run away from the palace."

I bit my lip. I hadn't thought of anyway to get her out of there, I just knew in my mind that I had to. "I know this is a really bad idea." Sam added. "But maybe it would be best if she did stay, just until we figured out a way to get all of us out of here." I shot him a glare. "It was just a suggestion, I want her to get out as much as you do!"

I sighed. "I know Sam, but just….. I don't want her to get hurt. I don't want her to be treated like we were." I can't help it, but my mind flashes back to three years before.

_Someone had slammed me against the wall and covered my mouth with my hand. I'm trying to fight back but it's just after another experiment and my body feels heavy and I can't breathe. _

_There's a man burying his face in my hair and trying to force a knee between my legs and I'm screaming, screaming, screaming, until-_

_Angry shouts greet my ears and the man is pulled off of me. I slide down the wall as another soldier punches the man before sending him on his way. He turns to me and crouches down. "Are you alright?" He asked in kind but broken English._

_My answer is a sob and a nod. He nodded and helped me to my feet, before bringing to my room. He tried his hardest to comfort me in broken English as we walked down the halls. That memory would always be with me, one of the few moments of kindness shown to me by someone who wasn't Sam._

My mind snapped back to the present when I realised that Sam was speaking to me. "Wait, did put the information about the cargo shipment on the USB drive?" He asked. My eyes widened when I realised what he meant.

"The team might come to investigate." I said, as Sam nodded. "We could get to go with them somehow, that's brilliant!" I exclaimed.

Sam smirked. "I try my hardest." His expression suddenly hardened. "But what if they don't come?" He asked.

I shrugged. "We just got to hope, that's always what we have to do." He nodded, just as the boom tube opened. We jumped to attention, professional mode on.

* * *

><p>A week after we decided, Sam, Aurora and I were sent into the desert to pick up another delivery arriving by Boom Tube. We weren't wearing our uniforms as some higher up didn't want us to look suspicious. Yes, because there was nothing odd looking about two adults and a teenager, driving in an armour plated truck, and picking up a delivery in the middle of the desert.<p>

We had stopped now and were leaning against the hood of the truck. "You can't stay." Sam broke the silence this time.

Aurora whipped around to face us. "Wait what?" She exclaimed. "Oh my God, you've brought me out here to kill me, you assholes!"

"Calm down!" I cut her off. "We're not here to kill you."

She froze and asked "Then what are you going to do?"

"There's a possible escape for you." I explained. "I have friends from….before this. They can get you out."

"Okay, do you want explain more of that really vague answer?" Aurora asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Look, she knows superheroes kid. There is a possibility that they may be coming to investigate the Boom Tube signatures. Hopefully we can get you to go with them." Sam explained.

"And how do you know them?" She asked.

"It's a long story, but basically you just have to hope that they come." I replied.

"And if they don't?" She replied.

"Then we find another way out." I replied.

Aurora suddenly softened. "I never got to tell you guys this, but thank you. For everything." I smiled and Sam gave her a curt nod.

"Will you not be coming with me?" Aurora asked.

"Don't you think it would look a bit suspicious if Queen Bee's two pet projects suddenly disappeared?" Sam asked.

"But don't you want to leave?" She replied.

"I would give anything to leave, to see my family, my friends….." _Kaldur._ I trailed off.

"Why do I get the feeling you were going to mention a guy?" Aurora asked.

I laughed. "Yeah, his name is Kaldur and I would give anything to see him again."

"You love him?" I nodded. "Aww! What about you Sam? Got any lady friends you want to see?"

"Nah kid, I'm a lone wolf riding solo." He smirked.

"Cause he can't get a girlfriend." I muttered. Aurora and I laughed as Sam swatted at my head.

* * *

><p><strong>OH MY GOD GUYS I AM THE WORST PERSON EVER. I'm so sorry about this really late chapter but I was away most of easter break (spring break to you Americans) and didn't get time to write. Chapter updates will get even slower I'm afraid, as it's getting close to my exams. Sorry:(<strong>

**Korin- Thank you! I hope you enjoy this story as much as Shade!**

**Velociraptor121- You'll have to wait for that!**

**nikkali44- Thank you! Nightwing does know that it's Lila because if you remember in chapter one she left him a message.**

**Koren Flashblade- Reunion in a few chapters! :)**

**murdercrowther- I'm glad you enjoyed it! This chapter is darker though, but I hope the lighter moments mixed in were okay!**

**SinistrousDelirious- Thank you!**

**Katie Loom- Thank you!**

**LadyFelton1994- Thank you!  
><strong>**LadyMorph18****- Thank you! She doesn't know yet but that will change in a few chapters! :)**


	4. Beneath

Chapter Four

**Beneath**

"It's too tiiiight."

I rolled my eyes as Aurora whined. Her uniform had arrived this morning and I was helping her with it. It was similar to mine, but the suit was grey and the band separating her chest plate from the rest of the uniform was purple. Gold and purple, Queen Bee's colours.

"And too warm and my legs feel itch-"

I pulled the mask over her mouth. "Much better."

I smirked as I heard a faint 'Bitch,' and patted the side of her face. "I know. At least you have part of your face free. Full masks are a bitch in the sun." I replied.

Aurora yanked the mask off her face as I started to braid her hair. "Why am I even wearing this?" She grumbled.

"Queen Bee thinks you're ready." I replied.

"Stop being so fucking cryptic, ready for what?" She snapped and I rolled my eyes.

"For your first mission dumbass." I told her. The scowl dropped off her face, to reveal blind panic.

"M-M-mission?" She whimpered.

"The Queen is busy so the commander will brief us later." I explained.

"I can't- I can't do this." Aurora said, her breath coming out in small puffs. She staggered backwards, hitting the wall with a thump and sliding down. "I can't!"

I approached her slowly, recognising the early stages of a panic attack. I used to have them a lot when I was younger. "Aurora-"

"You said you would help me!"

"Aurora-"

"You said you w-would get me out of here!"

"Aurora, listen to me!" I exclaimed. Her head snapped up to face me, the terror evident on her face. "We're going to breathe together okay? Just in and out." It was something Scarlett used to do with me. Deep breath in, hold it and let it out slowly.

"You- you said you would help me." She whimpered.

I grabbed her hand. "And I will, but to help you now, you need to breathe okay?" She gripped my hands tightly and we just sat there for God knows how long.

Someone knocked the door. "[_Open up!_]"

Aurora had calmed down from her panic attack but, at the sound of guards, she looked like she was going to have another one. "Don't listen to them, okay? Just breathe."

"[_Open the door Nightfall!_]" A guard called, sounding agitated.

"Just breathe." I said.

"[_Open the door!_]"

"Breathe."

"[_Open the goddamn door!_]" He sounded angry now.

"Breath." With that, the door burst open and three guards burst in. Aurora and I sprang to our feet. "[_Can we help you?_]" I asked.

"[_Why didn't you answer the door?_]" One of them asked.

"[_I was busy._]" I replied, narrowing my eyes.

"[_You answer the door when we call._]" He commanded.

"[_Or what?_]" I snarled. In reply, my head snapped to the side as the guard slapped me. Aurora gasped and sprang forward, but I shoved my arm in front of her and pushed her back.

"[Don't talk like that to me. Now come, the commander wants to see you both.]" He told us. I put my mask on and the guards led us out. I kept my hand on Aurora's shoulder as we walked through the halls. We walked into the hanger, Sam already waiting for us in full uniform. I joined him at his side and he nodded at Aurora, noticing her red eyes. I shook my head, _I'll explain later._

The commander marched out and stood in front of us. "[_You will be protecting the shipment that comes through here, making sure no harm comes to it. Icicle Jr, Devastation, Shimmer and Mammoth will be assisting you._]" He explained briefly.

I raised my eyebrows. "[_What are we shipping?_]" Sam asked.

"[_The cargo that was delivered here by boom tubes._]" The commander replied.

"[_And what was the cargo?_]" I added. It had arrived in large crates when we picked it up, giving us no indicator as to what it was.

"[_You do not need to know. You just need to protect it._]" The commander told us. I rolled my eyes. Great.

"[_And Psimon?_]" Sam asked. As far as I knew, the asshole was still in hospital because of the fight between him and M'gann. Serves him right.

"[_Still currently indisposed. Now go. Start patrolling_]" He said. We did as he instructed.

My eyes darted around the area, the device that blocked communications catching my eye. Were they expecting trouble tonight? We continued patrolling for an hour, nothing unusual happening. Aurora's eyes had gone back to normal, losing their red colour. Icicle Jr kept sending smiles and winks in my direction, making me roll my eyes. Keep it in your pants man.

After another hour of patrol, a noise made me look up. Thanks to the serum, my hearing had become sharper. I was able to pick up on small noises and this one sounded suspiciously like a grapping hook. _Hm…._

I couldn't help but smile as I saw Batgirl. That meant the team was here! My smile faded as I remembered Psimon was here and they most likely didn't know.

Oh _shit_.

I had to get to M'gann somehow, but the question was: where would she be? Would she even let me near her to speak to her? My eyes caught sight of Aurora again and I got an idea. This could be a chance to get her out of here! I just had to find opportunity.

My thoughts were interrupted a loud roar, coming from Devastation. I sprinted towards the noise, Sam following close behind.

"This brat thought she could sneak in!" Devastation roared at me, trying to keep the laughter out of her voice. "I bet her little friends are here, sound the alarm!"

I sighed. Well that had gotten harder. I stiffened, getting back into character. "[_You heard her, sound the alarm! Put this place on lockdown!_]" I snarled at the guards.

"And who the heck are you?" Devastation asked the girl. "Wonder baby? Wonder brat?"

"Enough." I snapped. Her teasing was distracting and giving me a headache. God, Devastation's voice annoyed me.

"Come on Nightfall, lighten up. I'm just having a little fun with the blonde wonder over here." Devastation laughed. The girl grunted, trying to wrestle out of her grip.

"Devastation, Nightfall, what's going on?" Icicle asked. "Who is that?"

"She's less than forthcoming on that point junior, but I'm betting she's not here alone." Devastation replied.

"_[Find the others._]" I told the guards, along with Sam and Aurora. "[_We will deal with her._]" The less people around, the bigger chance this girl had to get away. They nodded and marched off, as Icicle got ready to hit her with one of his blasts. Aurora gave me a worried look and pulled her away, whispering something in her ear.

To my surprise, the girl managed to lift Devastation off the ground and throw her down, making me smirk. Thank god for the full mask.

"Stop her!" Icicle commanded. I put the blades into my gauntlets and fired them as Icicle shot his ice blasts at her. The girl easily blocked the knives with her bracelets. _Must be one of Wonder Woman's._

"Such every inch of the facility." Psimon's voice alerted me to his presence.

I headed inside, back into the hanger and towards the computer. I scanned the camera feeds for any indication as to who was here, when a small sound grabbed my attention. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Batgirl sneaking across. The girl was silent but my hearing was just too good.

I went after her, keeping my steps silent. My eyes widened like hers when I saw the cargo however. It was teenagers! Innocent teenagers! The team better have a way to get them out of here, or I will do it myself.

I snapped back to attention as Batgirl turned around and I saw Psimon watching me closely. Couldn't fuck up now. Her eyes widened in surprise as I went for her.

She was on the defence as I slammed my fists into her. My fist slammed into her forearm, letting a sound that made me wince. I ducked out of the way of her fist and her kick, before slamming my fist into her gut and threw her to the ground. As a last measure, I kicked her temple, making sure she was out cold. God damn, I needed to go easy.

"Put her in a pod." Psimon commanded. I nodded and picked up the girl. Now was the time to not drag her along the floor.

"Are you serious?" Icicle exclaimed as I placed her in the pod and closed it. "These kids are runaways, strays, no one's going to miss them! But a bat brat!"

"Batman himself is out of the picture and if anyone else misses her, Psimon says he just doesn't care." Oh she would definitely be missed. Nightwing would be pissed and don't get me started on her dad.

"Psimon." Devastation grabbed him. "I like the way that pretty brain of yours works."

I nearly vomited right there. Oh good _God_.

Psimon gave the others orders, including Aurora and I. We had to load the plane. This was perfect, if I got Aurora on the plane, helped the team get to the plane and got them away, she would safe! This was going slightly better than expected.

I pushed the crate into the plane, Aurora following me. As soon as we got up there, I hissed in her ear. "Hide now."

"What!" She said. I pressed my hand over her mouth.

"Find somewhere to hide and make sure it's comfortable, cause I am getting you out of here." I whispered.

"Are you serious?" She asked, looking relieved. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Don't thank me yet, I still have to get the plane to the team." I said. I let out a grunt as Aurora suddenly wrapped her arms around my waist in a tight hug.

"Thank you." She whispered.

I couldn't help but smile. "No problem kid. Now look after yourself."

"Will do. Tell Sam I said thanks as well." I nodded and gave her a two fingered salute, as she transformed into what looked like the colour of the plane. She then stepped back into the shadows. I marched off the plane. Hopefully the kid would be okay.

Loud beeps echoed throughout the hanger. I frowned. Why were we going into lockdown? "What's going on?" I asked. Devastation shrugged, looking around the hanger.

"The planes fully fuelled, what's going on?" Icicle asked.

"_The Martian is here, posing as Shimmer. We're engaged in psychic battle._" I couldn't help but smirk at that. M'gann always won against Psimon, that always took the cocky bastard down a peg.

"_Uh dude, you don't exactly have a winning record against her._" Icicle spoke my thoughts.

"_I don't have to win, I only have to keep her attention on the psychic plain while you kill her in the material world!_"

Haha no, stay away from my friend.

(Was she still my friend?)

"_Devastation is right, your brain is pretty."_ Icicle noted. Dude, don't be creepy.

The plane started to take off and Psimon commanded us to stop it. I ran ahead, planning some way to keep them off the plane. Devastation went for Batgirl, I stayed behind. The girl managed to fight Devastation and Mammoth off, throwing them both off the plane. She then went after me.

The girl was good, managing to fight me off and land some blows that nearly had me in tears. I couldn't breathe for a moment, I was pretty sure she cracked one of my ribs. I looked over my shoulder as I heard Mammoth grunt. He threw a vehicle toward us, making my eyes widen. I flipped off the plane and pulled the vehicle with me, making it skid along the floor.

"Why didn't you stop her!" Devastation roared at me. She looked ready to rip my head off.

"They were getting away, I couldn't have stopped them." I told her, my voice passive.

She groaned and turned away, I was pretty sure I heard her complain about me being a 'useless bitch'. But I didn't care. I smiled at the hanger door. Hopefully, this meant Aurora was safe and going home. Kid deserved it.

_Look after yourself kiddo._

"Where the hell is Fox?" I heard Psimon shout.

Uh oh.

* * *

><p><strong>THIRD PERSON P.O.V<strong>

Aurora sighed quietly, her legs aching after staying in this position for so long. She had to though, that was what Lila told her to do. _Wait until you find Nightwing, tell him I sent you. Get to Nightwing._ She could do that.

She let out a sigh of relief as the plane landed and the door creaked open. Pushing herself into the corner, Aurora waited for the man she was supposed to find. The abductees were moved off the plan and she couldn't help but smile. They were like her; they would be going home to their parents. At least, she hoped they were.

"Is that all of them?" She jumped in surprise, startled at the male voice. Aurora peeked out from behind where she was hiding and couldn't help but grin in happiness. It was Nightwing! She was about to jump out, until the female voice put her right back into the corner.

"All the abductees we could find, hopefully all the abductees there were." The woman replied. Aurora tried to see who it was, but was only greeted by red hair and a grey uniform.

"You did good work today Babs." Nightwing said. Aurora raised her eyebrows slightly, catching sight of the smile Nightwing sent in the girl's direction. Combined with the tone of his voice, she had a feeling there was something there.

"Heh, its Cassie you should be telling that to. She did good work today." This Babs person replied. "I have to go interview the abductees but I'll talk to you later."

"See you in the cave." He called, before turning to look around the plan. Aurora gulped, before stepping out of the shadows.

"N-Nightwing?" She scowled, hating how her voice sounded. What she didn't expect was for the hero to whip around and jump towards her. Aurora shrieked and tried to duck out of the way. "Please don't hurt me!"

"Who are you?" He growled, pinning her down, chest against the floor and arms behind her back.

"Lila sent me!" She exclaimed. The pressure lifted slightly against her arms.

"What?" He asked.

"L-Lila sent me! Lila Nadia Archer, Nightfall? Queen Bee's assassin person? She said she knew you!" Crap, crap, crap, was she lying?

"Yeah I do. Why did she send you?" He asked, still not letting the girl get to her feet.

"Can you let me up first?" Aurora asked. "Please?" She tried.

"No sorry, precautions." He told her. "Now why did she send you?" Nightwing asked.

"Queen Bee kidnapped me." Aurora said. She really hopped he would let her up soon, metal was uncomfortable on your face.

"You were one of the abductees?" Nightwing asked.

"No, at least I don't think so. I got taken in January." She explained. "I was one of her experiments." She added.

"What can you do?" He asked.

"Well maybe if you let me off the floor, I could show you!" She exclaimed.

"Right, right sorry." Nightwing said. "But you do realize if you run, I will taze you."

"What?!" Aurora exclaimed, she had never been tazed before.

"You must be new to this." He muttered, before letting her get up. "Okay let's see what you can do."

Aurora got up and brushed off her uniform, before letting out a sigh to compose herself. She then transformed, feeling her skin tingle as she transformed into the superhero in front of her. He blinked in surprise, before running his hand through his dark hair. "Wasn't expecting that." He muttered.

"I guess we have a lot to talk about then." Aurora said, raising her eyebrow.

* * *

><p><strong>OH MY GOD GUYS I'M SO SORRY THAT THIS CHAPTER IS REALLY SHIT. IT'S MOSTLY FILLER AND SETTING SOME STUFF UP FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER. But I think you guys might enjoy the next chapter. Here's a little preview:<strong>

"Hope I'm not too late to the party." I said, approaching the group.

"Lila?" Kaldur said.

**IT'S WHAT YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR.**

**THE MOTHERFUCKING REUNION.**

**mayemerald9- Thank you! Sorry it was so depressingL.**

**Taeniaea- Thank you!**

**ChaoticKosMos xD- Thank you! Good luck on your exams!**

**Guest- Sorry it wasn't so soon!**

**Johanna- Thank you! ALSO DID YOU THINK OF THE SHIP NAME? I THINK YOU DID.**

**Kaldur/Lila ship name= Kalila**


	5. Plans in Motion

Chapter Five

**Plans in Motion**

"You disappointed me Nightfall." Queen Bee said, scowling down at me. "Not only did you lose the cargo and allow the brats to get away, you also allowed Fox to get away with them."

"My apologies, my Queen." I replied, keeping my eyes on the ground.

"Apologies won't do you any good now." She snapped. "But you can rectify the situation. You will travel to Blüdhaven and recapture Fox. You will have a week."

Her words made my heart seize in my chest. "Are you sure that is a good idea?" She glared at me and I added "Your majesty."

"Of course, Aurora Fox has potential, which I doubt the Justice brats see." The Queen said. "There is a jet waiting for in a hanger for you, along with civilian clothing." I nodded and, was about to turn when, she stopped me. "Oh, and take this."

She handed me a necklace, making me raise my eyebrows. "What's this for?" I asked.

"Glamour charm. We can't have anyone recognise you, can we?" She replied, in a slightly patronising tone. "Now go."

"Yes my Queen." I replied, before bowing and walking out of her office. I then headed to the hanger. Sam was already there, making sure the jet was ready for take-off.

"What's going on?" He asked, pulling the petrol pump out of the jet.

"She wants me to recapture Fox." I told him.

"What?!" He exclaimed. "We only just got her away like a month ago!"

"I know but I'll figure something out." I said, climbing on the jet.

"Better figure it out quickly, you know she can't come back here." Sam replied. I sighed and nodded as he added "Good luck."

"Thanks." I replied. With that, Sam stepped off the jet. I started it and took off, flying through the night.

* * *

><p>Since I had been given a week, I decided to take my time, monitoring the places Aurora frequented the most, according to the files provided, and trying to figure out a plan. I was sitting on a bench near her home, apparently on the route which she took to school. I wore a baseball cap and kept my head down, letting it cover my eyes. No one had paid me any attention, not yet. Until:<p>

"Hey, mind if I buy you a coffee?" I rolled my eyes at the male voice, still keeping my eyes on the ground.

"Sorry sir, I'm busy." I replied, hoping he would get a hint.

"You don't look too busy." He commented. "Besides, I know a nice place."

"Sir, I'm busy. Please, leave me alone." I snapped. If he didn't take the hint now, there was something wrong with him.

"Would you prefer some champagne then, Elisabetta?" My eyes widened and my head snapped up to face the man. They widened further when I recognised him.

"Dick?" I said. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question." He replied. "You look like a predator. Now what's going on?"

"I can't talk about it here." I muttered.

"Okay then. Come on, I know a place." He grabbed my arm and pulled me up. I followed him along closely as we walked through the streets. He turned down the corner and I let out a quiet sigh as he led me down a less populated street. This made me breathe a little easier. I raise my eyebrows as he led me to a small café.

He held the door open and let me in. Dick came through and walked over to the man behind the corner, who was more focused on the small television on the wall, displaying a football game. "Afternoon Gregor, could I get a cappuccino and," He turned to me and asked "Latte?" I nodded and he told my order to the man.

"Of course Mister Grayson, of course!" The man smiled, bustling around the small kitchen area. The place was empty but had a warm, homely feeling.

"Nice, isn't it?" Dick asked. "Come on, let's go sit down." He pulled me over to a table in the corner and we sat down.

"Why did you bring me here?" I hissed. "We're hardly alone." I nodded towards Gregor.

"Relax, Gregor can only hear in one ear and, even then, his hearing isn't great. Besides, they wouldn't expect you to come here, would they?" Dick smiled.

I frowned and nodded. "I guess you're right."

"Goal!" Gregor shouted, making me nearly jump out of my seat. My fingers curled around the knife I had hidden on my person.

"Relax, he can be a little…..exuberant sometimes." Dick said, pulling me back down to my seat. "Just relax a little, take off your hat and stretch."

"What if I'm seen?" I asked.

"She can't have eyes on you all of the time." Dick replied.

"You'd be surprised." I said. "Besides, I went missing. Don't you think it would be weird if people saw the missing girl having coffee?"

"Well, they probably won't remember you." He said.

"Thanks Dick." I deadpanned.

"I meant, you've changed Lila. You look like you need a few years to sleep and you look stronger, but kind of gaunt as well." He said. "What's happened to you?"

I smiled cynically. "A lot." There was a moment of silence before Gregor gave us our drinks. Dick thanked him and Gregor walked off.

"Why are you in Blüdhaven?" He asked.

"She wants me to bring back Aurora." I said.

"Bring back Rory! Are you serious?" He asked.

"No, I'm just here for kicks." I deadpanned. "And you call her Rory?"

"Yeah, she prefers to be called Rory. She's been spending a lot of time with the team recently." He told me. I raised my eyebrows.

"As a member?" I asked.

"Undecided." He replied. "She's just learning how to control her shifting at the moment."

"How's it going?" I asked.

"Eh." Came his reply.

"That bad?" I asked.

"She's inexperienced but she's trying." He sipped his cappuccino."Not all of us could be trained their whole life." He replied, raising his eyebrow.

"Not all of us can acrobat trained at the circus." I smirked.

Both eyebrows rose this time. "You've done your research."

"She has some informative files." I told him. "And you can't blame me for being a little curious, you've kept it from us for years."

He frowned at me. "For good reason. Wally knew."

I snorted. "Of course he did." We eased into silence. "Why did you bring me here Dick?"

"You look like you need a break, when was the last time you slept?" He asked.

"Last night." I said. "Dick, I think it's adorable that you care about my sleeping schedule, but I have a feeling that wasn't what you brought me here to talk about."

Dick smiled. "Perceptive as usual." He replied sarcastically. "I wanted to thank you for that pen drive, and ask if there was hopefully another? It was very beneficial."

I smirked. "You're in luck. Unfortunately, it's at my safe house. I'll meet you later to give it to you."

"There's place where I want to meet actually." Dick said. He pulled out a pen and scribbled an address on the napkin, before handing it to me. "Artemis, Wally and Kaldur will be there as well."

I sat up, a hopeful smile coming across my face. "Kaldur's going to be there?" I suddenly stopped. "Wait, why are they going to be there?"

Dick's expression suddenly became grave and he leaned forward. "Lila, you have to understand that a lot has changed."

"What happened to Kaldur?" I asked, my fists clenching. If something's happened to him, I swear to God.

"He found out something-look it would be better for him to explain to you, but long story short, he's gone deep undercover and Artemis is joining him." He told me. "But there's something else."

"What?" I asked.

He swallowed. "Lila, they don't know you're coming. Hell, I didn't know you were coming until I saw you and that was a complete wildcard, I thought I was going to have to get a message to you somehow. But Lila…" He paused. "You've been missing for three years."

He paused again. "They thought you died. There's a memorial of you in the Cave."

I was silent.

How, how do you react to that? How do you react when someone tells you that your closest friends, family and the man you love think you died?

"Lila?" Dick said softly. "Are you okay?"

I paused and sniffed. I sat back and held my hand over my mouth. "I don't know. It's just a lot to take in."

"I shouldn't have told you that." Dick frowned.

I steeled myself. "No, no, its fine, I needed to hear that."

"Are you sure?" Dick asked.

"Yeah." I smiled. "It will give Kaldur one hell of a surprise at least."

Dick still wasn't convinced. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Fine. Thanks for the drink." I stood up and pushed in my chair. "I'll see you tonight."

Dick gave me a two fingered salute as I left the café.

* * *

><p>That night, I leapt across rooftops; the slip of paper, with the address on it, was clenched in my hand. I finally landed on the roof of the warehouse, slipping through a skylight to get closer. I was climbing down the boxes when I heard it.<p>

"And still, only we four know the secret?"

_Kaldur?_

_Kaldurkaldurkaldur._

_I want to see him._

The sound of his voice had made my foot slip, but luckily, I hadn't given away my position. "Not exactly." Dick replied.

"What!" Kaldur exclaimed, along with other voices. That must be Artemis and Wally. I decided to make myself known.

"Hope I'm not too late to the party." I said, stepping out of the shadows and into the light. The others, apart from Dick, immediately step into battle mode.

"Whoa, whoa!" Dick called, throwing his hands out to stop them. I pulled off my mask, letting them see my face. Kaldur dropped his swords and they clattered onto the floor, the sound reverberating through the silence.

"Uh, hi." I said, after a long moment of silence.

I stand there for a moment, not quite sure what to do, until Artemis launches herself at me in a ferocious bear hug. "Oh my god, oh my god, how- how the fuck- what the fuck happened to you?"

"I'd like to know the same thing." Wally said, pulling me into a tight hug. I looked over at Kaldur and gave him a soft smile, but he was staring at me like he thought I wasn't there.

"Queen Bee." I said, still looking over at Kaldur. I reached out towards him and grasped his fingers. It seemed to pull him out of his trance and he brought his hand up, stroking the side of my face. I held the hand on my face, smiling slightly.

"You're alive." He finally said.

"What did she do to you?" Artemis asked. I pulled away from Kaldur, snapping out of my reverie.

I pulled up my sleeve, revealing the contraption that kept the serum flowing through my veins. "She finally finished Project Super Soldier. She took me away, I got experimented on. There was actually a period of time where I couldn't remember my life before, whether that was amnesia or Psimon's work, I don't know."

My hand slips back into Kaldur's and he squeezed it. My news brought scowls to the others. "How did you know to come?" Kaldur asked.

"I'm on a mission at the moment. I have to bring Aurora Fox back to Bialya." I explained, before turning to Dick. "Which you need to stop by the way, I can't go back empty handed but I sure as hell am not bringing her back with me."

Dick nodded. "I know, I'll take care of it."

I nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Nightwing found me and we talked. He told me to come here tonight."

Dick turned to Kaldur and asked "How did your end go tonight?"

"Successful as well." He hesitated for a moment, glancing towards me. "I have ah, proven my loyalty to my biological father."

"Wait, what?" I said, looking at Kaldur before looking at the others. They avoided my eyes.

"I will explain later." Kaldur said, squeezing my hand in an attempt to reassure me. "He is moving me further up the ladder and closer to the light, and their unknown partner."

"Not without cost, Kaldur." Dick said. "The comsat wasn't supposed to be destroyed and La'gaan definitely wasn't supposed to be captured."

"It was the only way to save his life and maintain my cover." Kaldur replied.

"I'm not blaming you." Dick said. "I know you've been faced with making impossible decisions, like choosing to save the Kroloteans on Malina Island."

Kaldur finished the sentence. "Or saving my friends, and I will find a way to save La'gaan, you have my word."

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Kaldur's been deep undercover in Black Manta's organisation." Dick explained.

"So that means Black Manta's your….." I trailed of when I saw the look on Kaldur's face. "Oh."

"So, what now?" Artemis asked.

As Dick pulled out a necklace, Kaldur leaned down towards me. "May I speak to you in private?" He asked. I nodded and he glanced at Dick. He nodded as well and Kaldur pulled me behind one of those crates.

As soon as we were blocked from their view, Kaldur put my face in his hands, letting his emotions come through. "You are alive." He whispered. "I thought- I thought-"

"I know." I replied, grasping his hands in mine. He pulled me into a kiss, fierce and desperate and like he knew he wouldn't see me for a long time, so he was getting his feelings out now. He pulled closer, hands running through my hair and along my neck, my arms wrapping around his neck.

Kaldur pulled back, letting his forehead rest against mine. "I thought, I thought you were dead, they told me you were dead, they said that it was the most likely situation. I thought- I thought-"He stopped as his voice started to choke, the tears threatening to pour.

"I know." I replied, the only words I felt I could say.

"I feel like I am dreaming." He said.

"I could pinch you, if you want." I replied, smiling slightly.

He grinned, placing gently kisses on my forehead and my cheeks and my lips and my throat. I suspected that he was trying to prove to himself that I was there. God, it felt good to be kissed by him again, to look at him, just to hear his voice.

"Great Neptune; I missed you, I missed you so much. When you didn't come back, I thought you were busy but didn't come back at all and I tried to not assume the worst but…." He trailed off.

"The League told you I was dead so you could have some closure." I assumed.

"Scarlett was furious, she wanted to keep the search going, but the League had practically searched the globe and they could not find you. I always thought you were alive, but there was a small part of me…." He trailed off again.

"That believed it"? I asked. He nodded, looking ashamed. "Hey, hey, I'm here now, let's not thing about that." I leaned forward and kissed him again.

His hands slipped down, tracing my sides. "Oh Lila, what have they done to you?" Kaldur whispered.

"A lot, but don't think about that." I replied, putting my finger under his chin and pushing it up so he was facing me. "I'm going to get out of there and you are going to get away from Manta and we'll just go somewhere. Rome, Paris, England, wherever you want."

He frowned. "But what if you cannot get away."

"Then you better be sending a big ass search party for me." I replied.

He smiled, pulling me closer. "I intend to."

"Good." I replied, before pulling him into another kiss. "We better get back to them." I said.

"You have no idea how much I want for us both to run away." He said.

"I know, God how much I would love to, but we can't." I said. I gave him a final kiss, this one far softer than the others. "I will see you soon. I will see you even if it kills me."

"I would rather it did not kill you, I rather like you being alive." He smiled, stroking my cheek. I smiled and grasped his hand. We walked back to Dick, Wally and Artemis. They explained to me that Artemis was going undercover to work with Kaldur, that the team thought she had died.

(That makes two of us)

I pulled Artemis into a hug. "Be careful." I murmured into her ear.

"You too." She replied.

"It is time." Kaldur said, sounding weary. He gave me one last final kiss, before placing a soft kiss on my forehead. "I love you." He murmured.

"I love you too." I said back, my heart sinking as he let go of my hand and walked away with Artemis. He looked behind his shoulder and I gave him a soft smile, one that he returned. With that, he and Artemis left and the rest of us made our way to the roof to watch their departure.

We stood in silence as the pair boarded the ship. "We're through the hard part. They're in." Dick said, breaking the silence.

"Who are you kidding?" Wally asked. "It only gets more dangerous from here."

"Wally." Dick said, about to continue when Wally cut him off. "Just stop Dick. I need to get home, Brucely needs fed." Wally pulled me into a hug. "Take care Lila, don't let Queen Bee get you down."

I smirked. "Don't worry, I won't." With that, he let go and left. I turned to Dick and he sighed.

"I still have to deal with your mission, don't I?" He asked. I nodded and we hatched a plan, that the team would take me down and bring me to the Cave, hopefully he would be able to smuggle me out. "Be safe." Nightwing said, before he left.

I smiled as he gave me another two-fingered salute.

* * *

><p><strong>Hope you guys enjoyed the Kalila reunion! They will have more interaction after this, particularly chapter nine, which is called Never Let Me Go. Goddamn, Florence + The Machine really is inspiring this story. I pretty much had Cosmic Love on repeat while writing this. But anyway, hope you guys enjoyed!<strong>

**mayemerald9- Thank you! It's pretty much a guarantee to make them stay. **

**purplemonkey36- Thank you! The smut will come in later chapters.**

**Taeniaea- Thank you!**

**Johanna- Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoyed the reunion! (I love you too)**

**Koren Flashblade- Thank you! I hope you enjoyed the reunion!**

**Guest- Hope this was soon enough!**

**The-Moyashi- Updated!**


	6. Capture

Chapter Six

**Capture**

The Fox family lived in a penthouse, which was also in one of the highest building in Bludhaven. That made my job about ten times harder since I couldn't go in through a window or something, thank you for your choices Xavier and Sabrina Fox.

(Notice the sarcasm)

It was two days after the meeting with Kaldur and the others. There was an ache in my chest which I hadn't had in about three years. I missed him so badly. Seeing Kaldur again only brought up old feelings, feelings of longing. I mentally slapped myself.

_Suck it up Archer; you're here on a mission, not to whine about feelings_

The parents were out for the evening, leaving Aurora and her twenty-four year old half-sister, Rachel, behind. If all went well on Dick's end, at best the two sisters would be out of the house, at worst they would still be there but so would members of the team who would be protecting them.

I had wondered for a while why Aurora had powers and Rachel didn't. It was revealed to me later that Rachel was only her half-sister; her parents had divorced when she was ten and Aurora was the child of Xavier's second marriage. Aurora's parents were scientists who worked for Queen Bee and when Sabrina became pregnant they decided to run experiments, see if they could manipulate the 'meta gene' or whatever it was.

I don't know what it is either. I must not have listened in science class or something.

They discovered later that Queen Bee planned to take the child away when she was born, so the pair escaped to live in America, changing their identities. Only now, Queen Bee had managed to catch up on them.

I wore civilian clothes, blazer, shirt, trousers, high heels and the glamour charm around my neck. I held a large, brown leather Chanel bag over my shoulder, which carried my uniform. I was apparently a business woman who 'conveniently' was away this month.

I swallowed before I entered the hotel. I didn't have a key to the room of the woman I was impersonating, so I would have to improvise. I peaked in through the window; the only person in the lobby was the blond receptionist.

_Perfect._

I called him, thanking god that the glamour charm gave me their voice as well. "Hello Miss Hendrix, how may I-"

"I've had a disappointing day Charles and I really wouldn't like to hear your babble. Go up to my apartment and make sure the temperature is just how I like it." I said, my voice coming out in a posh British accent. I watched as the receptionist sighed, before turning and going up the hall. I followed close behind.

"Yes Miss Hendrix."

"And make sure the lights are dim." He went up the stairs and I followed.

"Yes Miss Hendrix."

"Close all curtains." I added.

"Yes Miss Hendrix."

"And Charles, don't linger." Just as he walked into the apartment, I slipped in before hiding behind the kitchen counter and hanging up the phone.

"What!" I heard Charles exclaim. "That bitch hung up on me!" I smirked as he walked out of the apartment, before standing up and letting out a sigh of relief. Didn't actually expect that to work. _If only Sam was here, because I really feel like I need to give someone a high five. _I shoved my phone into my pocket and got up from where I was kneeling, so I was crouching, before dusting off my jeans.

Time to get to work.

I grabbed my bag, before going into the bathroom and stripped my civilian clothes. After taking out the security cameras in the apartment and all footage from tonight, using some device Queen Bee had given me; I pulled on my uniform and made sure I had all of my weapons, before pulling up a map of the apartment building. There was a vent that led into the elevator shaft.

_Perfect._

After unscrewing the vent cover and tugging myself in, I crawled through and gasped at how hot it was. _Damn this uniform._ I finally made it to the elevator shaft, so I unscrewed that vent cover and leapt onto a small ledge, that was luckily opposite it.

I had never kidnapped someone on my own before. The only other time I had, I had been with Sam, so this time the nerves twisted in my stomach. Being caught by someone who wasn't on the team terrified me, but I couldn't let that distract me. No distractions, no failure, that's what Pablo said. Well, I would fail tonight, the way I hoped to anyway.

Never thought I would think that.

I shot a grappling hook up and went up the elevator shaft, not willing to wait for the elevator. Switching on the infrared goggles in my mask, I scanned the hallway that held my entrance to the penthouse suit. Empty, apart from a lone security guard. I took on the security cameras, before getting to work.

I leaned on the ledge and pulled open the elevator doors. The security guard's head snapped up to face me. "And what the hell are you meant to be?" He said, springing out of the chair.

I didn't answer, instead shooting a sleeper dart from my gauntlet. He stopped, legs shaking, and feel face first. I stepped over him and searched his jacket for the key, pulling out the white key card with cry of triumph. I swiped it and pushed the door open, entering the apartment. The place was quiet, as I put another sleeper dart in my gauntlet, preparing for any surprises. I swatted the fly that landed on it, noticing that it looked oddly green. _Probably nothing_, I decided before going further into the house.

I switched on the heat vision in my mask, my eyes narrowing as I picked up on more than one heat signature. There was one in Aurora's bed, probably her, but there were others. I slipped my fingers around my knife as I crept through the house, keeping to the shadows and keeping my steps silent.

I found Aurora's room quickly, pushing open the door gently. It was a typical teenage girl's room, walls covered in posters, clothes spilling out of the closet and makeup lying on the desk. It made my heart pang; I might be taking a girl away from home.

_Dick's plan had better work or I would be pissed._

There was also another reason for the pang, one far more selfish. I missed this; I missed my home, my room, my friends and my normal life. I wanted to go home.

_Get a hold of yourself and focus on the mission!_ My mind screamed at me.

I got the sleeper dart ready and pulled the blanket off the girl. My eyes widened as Aurora looked up at me, her lips curling into a smirk and her eyes glowing green.

This wasn't Aurora.

I was suddenly lifted off my feet and sent flying into the wall behind me. _Oh shit!_ I let out a grunt as my head collided with the wall, before blinking the spots out of my vision.

_Wow, those were a lot of stars._

Now, the good news was the team were here and that meant Aurora was safe.

The bad news was that they were probably going to beat the shit out of me. Dick and I agreed that I had to go down fighting as it would be odd for me to not.

_Great, just great._

Aurora floated upwards from the bed, morphing into Miss Martian. I dropped a smoke bomb, before rolling backwards out of it. I crept away toward the window, before being tackled. I landed with grunt, before flipping to my feet to face Batgirl, who had a dark scowl on her face.

_Something tells me that she was still a little sore about Bialya._

She narrowed her eyes and took position. Every punch and kick I deflected and dodged. She seemed to have gotten tougher since the last time we fought, impressing since it had been such a short time ago. I had slammed my boot into her jaw, making her stumble back, when sparks started shooting at me.

_What the fuck?_

I swatted it away, trying to get back to the fight with Batgirl. God, this thing was annoying, was it one of the members of the team? It kept shooting at me. _Jesus Christ, could you fuck off please?_ I let out a growl of frustration and, finally, my hand hit the hero, member of the team, whatever the fuck it was.

I noticed something hurtling at me, out of the corner of my eye. I pulled out my katana and brought it down, slicing the object in half. A broken birdarang lay at my feet. I looked up as Robin jumped towards me. It seemed odd to look at this boy and think this wasn't Dick. I flipped out of the way, letting out a yell as someone tackled me from behind, sending me into a different room.

I rolled over so I was on my back and gaped at the thing on top of me. A green leopard with a red and white collar around its neck. _What the actual fuck?_ My eyes widened when I remembered who it was. _Gar_? I didn't want to hurt the boy too badly, so I pulled out one of my knives and sliced along his throat, making sure the cut wasn't too deep. The leopard growled and lessened its hold on me, so I was able to wriggle out.

I backed away as it let out a growl. _Maybe I should break out a ball of yarn as a distraction._ _Play nice kitty. _A birdarang flew towards me and I brought my hand up to get my sword, letting out a growl of frustration when I didn't feel it. I must have dropped it when Gar tackled me.

The birdarang exploded and sent me backwards. I let out a faint groan in pain and slid to the ground. My eyes opened and I sighed in defeat when I realised that I was surrounded. Robin held up his bo staff, Batgirl and…the girl who was dressed like an bumblebee, odd, were standing in fighting position, Gar was growling and M'gann was staring. I got on my knees and held up my hands.

I surrender.

My eyes widened as M'gann's eyes glowed green. My world turned black and I fell down face first, unconscious.

* * *

><p>My eyes flicked open and I was immediately on high alert. I was on my back, my body had been tied down to what seemed like a stretcher and my mask was still on. Luckily, I could still feel the glamour charm on my chest. <em>I really hope they don't think to remove this, because I will be screwed. Well, my mission would be anyway.<em> The ceiling I could see was a dark purple, one that seemed oddly similar. Was I in the Bioship?

I shut my eyes again when I heard voices coming closer. Two females. I strained to hear their conversation, mentally thanking my heightened senses. "Do I read her mind?" I assumed that was M'gann.

"No, she's one of Queen Bee's, so there's a chance that Psimon has implanted a mental virus in her mind. We can't risk it, even though you can kick Psimon's ass ten ways from Sunday." A voice that sounded quiet like Batgirl said.

"Heh, thanks." M'gann replied. "So where does Nightwing want us to bring her?"

"The Cave, oddly enough. I wasn't sure about his decision, but he says he wants to interrogate her about the abductees in Bialya. Apparently he has a lead on it." Batgirl explained.

"Are you sure that's safe for Rory? She has to stay at the Cave in case Queen Bee makes another kidnapping attempt." M'gann asked. "And what's the guarantee that she'll know anything anyway? She could be low down on the food chain."

"I don't know, but Nightwing's pretty sure about this lead." Batgirl replied. "He better be right about it."

"Can we unmask her?" Another voice asked, this one sounded male.

"I told you to get to your seat Beast Boy." M'gann said, sounding annoyed.

"Come on BB, Miss M said to-"The other male voice stopped. "Sorry Guys, I couldn't stop him." He said, sounding sheepish.

"It's fine Robin." M'gann sighed. "Why do you want to unmask her?"

"Because it'll be cool to do a dramatic unmasking and we could see who it is! And we could use her mask as a souvenir!" Gar exclaimed excitedly.

"I doubt we'll know who it is." M'gann replied. "And what if she attacks you?"

"She's tied down and you guys will be there! I'll be fine." Gar replied. I closed my eyes, trying to make it look like I was sleeping as his steps came closer.

"Be careful!" M'gann exclaimed.

Batgirl laughed. "You sound like a mom. Be careful and don't forget your homework!" She said, mocking M'gann.

"Shut up." M'gann muttered, elbowing Batgirl who laughed again. I let out a quiet sigh, wishing I could have relaxed conversations with my friends like that.

"Okay mystery lady, let's see who you are." Gar murmured.

"Careful." Robin muttered.

"I am being careful!" Gar exclaimed. I closed my eyes, making me look like I was sleeping, as fingers closed around my mask and removed it. There was a moment of silence before Gar said "….I have no idea who this."

Robin burst out laughing, before smothering it. "Why did you expect to know her?"

"I don't know, I just thought it would be like an unmasking in Scooby Doo, where they take off the mask and it's some creepy dude they met earlier in the show!" Gar rambled. It took a lot of effort to not laugh loudly.

Robin didn't bother to hide his laughter. "Come on, you dork, let's go sit down." I waited until I couldn't hear their footsteps anymore, before opening my eyes. Batgirl was the only left in the room, leaning against the wall. She must be tasked with watching me. I kept my eyes closed, deciding to get some sleep while I was waiting. There was no point in me fighting them off, I would get beaten and my injuries would get worse. So I decided to close my eyes and let the injuries heal.

I had managed to fall asleep and was woken up by someone shaking my shoulder. "Up! Get up!" Batgirl snapped. I let out a low panicked whine when I opened my eyes and realised I couldn't' see. Then I realised it was just a blindfold covering my eyes, so I calmed down slightly. Only slightly, as my sense were now on high alert.

The ties had been removed from around my body so I swung my legs around and got up. My hands were then handcuffed behind my back and my ankles tied together. "Let's go." Batgirl said, guiding me forward by pulling my arm. I had to stop the smile coming across my face when I realised that I was going to the Cave, somewhere close to home.

Now I had just had to think of an escape.

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh, sorry this chapter took so long and isn't the greatest and also quite short. It was a necessary chapter for later ones, ones that include Kalila interaction. Also sorry it took so long, I've been mostly focused on my other YJ story, Catgirl, as I want to finish it by the end of this summer. Also, like I said in Catgirl, I was thinking that if YJ was a live action show, and Lila was included, I would love her to be played by Kaya Scodelario, though her hair would be black and curly. But yeah, just a little fun fact.<strong>

**Taeniaea- Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it!**

**purplemonkey36- Thank you! Yeah, they will see each other again next chapter but it's chapter eight that will be very Kalila heavy.**

**ChaoticKosMos xD- I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope you're doing well IRL as well! :)**

**The-Moyashi- Oh my god thank you! I'm really glad you enjoyed it but I'm sorry this update took so long!**

**Koren Flashblade- Is it bad that I'm really proud of the fact that I had some readers in tears because of the reunion? I've come to the conclusion that I'm a terrible person! But I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you!**

**Johanna- How she gets away from Queen Bee comes up later in the story. ALSO YES KALILA WILL HAVE HAPPINESS, eventual happiness, BUT HAPPINESS NONE THE LESS!**

**Guest- Oh my god thank you so much! Ah, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you so much for the compliment!**

**FujiwaraYuko- I take it you enjoyed it them, I hope at least!**


	7. Interrogation Tactics

**Chapter Seven**

**Interrogation Tactics**

I leaned back in my chair, letting out a sigh. I had been in the Cave for nearly two or three weeks and I was bored in my mind. I was brought to the cave, my weapons were removed and taken out of the room along with my mask, and was looked in a room. At least it had a bookshelf so I could catch up on my reading. I was allowed to wander around the room, but when I was being interrogated, nearly every freaking day, I was tied to the chair. I got food delivered to me three times a day, as they hopefully wanted to keep me alive.

The door slid open and people entered. Blue Beetle tied me down and I watched the pair after he pulled away. Impulse stood beside him, watching me carefully. Blue Beetle looked down at him occasionally, as if he was checking on him. Impulse crouched down so he was at my eye level, narrowing his eyes at me. I raised my eyebrow at him, staring straight back at him. I had found out about the new speedster when I saw him on the news three weeks before. I found out he travelled back in time from Dick.

Time travel: that was a new one.

Impulse was still watching me and I was still staring back, thankful that I had that glamour charm on still so they couldn't scan my face and realise who I am. "Who do you work for?!" He exclaimed. I leaned back and raised my eyebrows, slightly surprised.

Blue Beetle grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back. "We know who she works for, hermano." He whispered in his ear.

"Oh, right, right, forgot." Impulse said sheepishly, giving him a wide grin. "I just saw a lot of cop movies and they do that a lot in interrogations so I thought I might try it out, test the waters! It didn't work, did it?"

"No, no it did not." I bit my lip to hold in the snort. Impulse nodded before turning back to me. He squatted down at my eye level again. "Anyway, she probably won't talk. Everyone else says she won't talk."

"Can she talk?" He asked Beetle, before turning to me and asking me. "Can you talk? Queen Bee might have done something to her to make her not talk and that's why she's not-"

"Dude." Blue Beetle cut him off. "She's probably just not talking cause she's not meant to give it away. Come on man, let's just go out of here. It's kind of boring and we won't get anything out of her."

"Aw man, you're no fun." Impulse groaned, doing a dramatic eye roll.

"Come on hermano." Beetle said, pushing him out of the room before he untied my wrists. The pair walked out of the room and I could only watch them with raised eyebrows.

Well that was interesting.

* * *

><p>Another few hours passed after the…odd interrogation from Impulse and Blue Beetle. They were different to say the least. I had a feeling that Impulse and Wally were related. Impulse reminded me of a younger, more hyper Wally. Comparing him to the Wally I had met a few weeks ago, an angry and clearly upset man, and to the Wally I knew years ago was slightly depressing. <em>Look who's talking.<em> I let out a quiet snort. "Am I laughing at my own jokes? God, I'm a dork." I muttered. "Great, now I'm talking to myself."

"Getting cabin fever?" A voice said. I looked over to the door to see Dick giving me a smirk.

"You would think since, you know, I've been in this room for like three weeks." I said.

"Quit your whining, you could be in a prison." He replied.

"I think I would do okay in prison." I replied. "If they come near me I would cut them."

He stopped and I could tell he was giving me an odd look, even through his mask. "You are terrifying sometimes, you know that?"

I smirked. "Yep. I take pride in it."

I could tell he rolled his eyes, even though he had his mask on. "Of course you do." He placed a plate in front of me and I raised my eyebrows when I saw the sandwich. "Peanut butter and jelly, your favourite."

I smiled up at him and said "Thanks." I then started to devour the sandwich. "Also, tell your team that they need to work on their interrogation tactics."

"Noted." He gave me a look of disgust at me devouring the sandwhich. "That's gross."

I glared up at him and said, through a mouthful of food "I literally haven't had one of these in years, excuse me for enjoying it."

"Glad you remember your manners." He said, leaning against the wall with a smirk on his face. I narrowed my eyes at him, before finishing my sandwich, my back stiffening as someone knocked at the door. I looked up at Dick who just smiled at me. "Relax, someone wants to see you."

I raised my eyebrows at got up. The door opened to reveal Aurora, who grinned widely before throwing herself into my arms. I let out a huff as the wind was knocked out of me, looking up at Dick who just smiled at me. "Thank you." She whispered into my shoulder.

"What for?" I asked, hugging her back uncertainly.

"For protecting me and getting me out of there." She replied. "Sam too."

"I'll tell him that when I get back." I replied, smiling widely before looking up at Dick again. "Speaking of which, how am I getting back?"

He hesitated for a moment, glancing at Aurora. "Hey Rory, mind if you leave us alone for a minute?"

She nodded, tightening the hug for a moment. "Thank you."

I smiled, hugging her back. "No problem kid, look after yourself." With that, Aurora let go of me, before giving me a wide smile and leaving the room. "What did you want to tell me so secretly?"

"Kaldur's coming to the Cave. Rory doesn't know about _that_ undercover opp." He replied. "He can take you away."

My mood brightened. "Kaldur's coming to the cave?" It darkened again. "Why is Kaldur coming?"

Dick sighed. "It's a long story, one that Kaldur would be better at explaining. All that you need to now is that your weapons will be in the grove and Rory will be nowhere near the cave when it happens."

I nodded, feeling slightly relieved. "That's good." I smiled at him, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Look after her and the team Dick."

"Always have, always will." He said with a smile.

Don't forget about yourself too." I said. Dick smiled, pulling me into a hug before saying goodbye. I was left alone again.

* * *

><p>I was lying on the small grey bed, tucked up in the corner, a few hours later after Dick came in to speak to me. My legs were pressed against the wall and my back against the bed, actually quite comfortable. There had been a lot of noise earlier, probably the daily going's on of the cave, which I used to be a part of.<p>

_Stop it with the longing, idiot._

Finally, I got a moment of peace and quiet. I was just about to drift off to sleep, my eyes closed, when the door slid open. "As much as I would love to be interrogated _again_, even with all that racket, can we do it later? I'm trying to sleep."

A familiar snort greeted my ears and my eyes snapped open. "Okay then, I'll just leave you here then." Artemis replied, wearing her Tigress garb. I swung my legs off the bed and got to my feet, giving her a wide grin.

"Well, aren't I glad to see you?" I asked, coming towards her.

"You really should be." She replied, giving me a smirk. "Where's your stuff?"

"He said the Grotto." I replied. "Let's go." With that, we turned and sprinted out of the room, coming to a stop when we reached the grotto.

"Oh yeah, let's finish him."

Well _that_ didn't sound good.

"Later!" A familiar voice called. I turned to see Kaldur and this weird thing happened. I just...relaxed when I saw him, like everything was going to be okay. "You will have your revenge when the time is right. For now, I need Superboy alive." He spotted Artemis and I, giving us a nod. It took a lot of willpower to not run over and kiss him.

The others turned to me. "Uh, evening." I said awkwardly. They grunted in reply, before I spotted my hologram. You know what's really odd? Finding out that you've been declared dead.

You know what's even odder? Seeing your memorial hologram.

Seriously, it was of me doing some dramatic pose with my hands on my hips, a pose that I'm pretty sure I've never done before. Scarlett and I were going to have a chat about holograms when I got out of this. I grabbed my things from the foot of the hologram, before putting my mask back on. I turned it was only then I noticed something that made my eyes widen.

She too had a hologram, which only meant one thing.

_Tula was dead? _

I hadn't known her long, but we had been friends. Of course there had been feelings of mild jealousy when she first arrived as she was the first girl Kaldur-

_Oh god Kaldur._

My eyes snapped over to him, realizing that he had been watching my reaction to Tula's hologram. He looked away, a look of sadness and regret appearing on his face before vanishing again, the mask of a cold leader back on again.

Oh Kaldur.

I knew I had to talk with him once we got away from the Cave. I hoped I could anyway. Artemis grabbed my arm and told me to follow her, so I did what I was asked. We ran into the mission room to see Impulse being thrown on the ground by Tommy Terror, before Beetle went after him. She handed me a collar, which I placed on my belt for the time being. Artemis went for Nightwing, I went for Blue Beetle. I sprinted towards him, using the ice to give me a boost, and leapt towards Beetle, slamming my feet into his chest. I landed on my feet, he landed on his back. He got up, letting out a groan before turning to face me. I approached him warily, ready to knock him down.

He got up and his hand morphed into some weird rectangle, before it started to shoot..._staples_? Well _that_ was a new one. What, did he specialise in office supplies or something? Was he going to shoot pencils at me next?

I leapt over the ones that he shot at me, barely dodging them before one managed to hit me in the chest and pin me to the wall. I struggled to pull it off me as Beetle's arm changed again, this time morphing to a sonic ray thing, one that he had shot earlier. I braced myself for the pain before I heard "Stand down!"

Kaldur, my love, such impeccable timing.

I pried the staple off my chest as Kaldur said "This battle is over." I walked over to the group, trying to regain feeling in my arms where I had been pinned up.

"I don't think so, traitor!" Beetle exclaimed, pulling out the plasma cannons. My hand reached out for my weapons, ready to defend Kal at a moment's notice.

"Rethink Beetle, this is the same bomb that obliterated Malina Island." My eyes widened, what the hell was he doing? This had been a home for so many people and now Kaldur was destroying it? What the hell was he doing? Was this part of the plan? Cause if it was he better know what he was doing. "I am holding down the dead man switch. If my thumb comes off this button for any reason, Mount Justice falls."

Was this a really inappropriate time to say that speech was kind of hot?

Beetle seemed to be thinking it over, before coming down and holding up his hands. "We're standing down."

As I placed the collar on him, Kaldur said "Wise choice."

Jr came down and whined "I'm fine by the way." I could barely keep in my eye roll.

"Good." Kaldur said. "Escort Blue Beetle, Impulse and Beast Boy to the flyer."

"What about these two?" Artemis asked, referring to Dick and Conner.

"As hostages here they have value. However, Nightwing is an ordinary human and Superboy and human-kryptonian hybrid clone. Neither category is of interest to our partner." Kaldur explained. Then Dick leapt up and yelled something about regret and Kaldur said he had outgrown the name Aqualad and it all made me kind of worried, hoping that Kal was a good actor. It was all very dramatic. He started to walk away and I followed. "I will leave the bomb with you, as a souvenir. Oh, and the dead man switch has a five mile range. Do not pursue." With that dramatic line, Kaldur left and I followed.

I felt like an obedient puppy that followed at his heels, which I really didn't like.

We walked outside to a massive ship, one that I assumed was Black Manta's. Did he have a thing for stuff matching? Because Kal's uniform and the ship looked very similar. Just as we walked aboard the ship, all hell broke loose. Blue Beetle managed to get free, hit Artemis and Icicle Jr while also sending Kaldur into some rocks with his plasma ray. I felt a surge of fury go through me, so I went after him, rolling out of the blast's way. "No!" Beetle yelled. I hipped around to see Kaldur's thumb come over the switch. "It was a bluff!" That's a relief. In my momentary distraction, he shot another ray at me. I slipped out of his way, but not before he changed his hands and slammed so kind of ball into my side, making me fly in a different direction.

I looked up as he reached Kaldur, unable to stop the yell coming out of my mouth. "No!" Luckily, he was prepared, blasting him with his electricity. Beetle tumbled back and Artemis sent a dart into his chest. I let out a sigh of relief before getting up and joining the group.

"I was no certain that would work." Kal said. "But it seems Beetle was indeed vulnerable to mystic energy, and sedatives. Bring him aboard." Artemis gave me an odd look as I picked Beetle up easily, swinging him over my shoulder. My strength was still new to her. Truthfully, he was quite heavy but easy to carry. We brought them into the ship and tied them up, giving them the view from the front window. The others took their seats, I hovered at Kaldur's side along with Artemis.

"We did we have to get her? Why's she so important?" I heard Tommy Terror ask Icicle Jr. My eyes flicked down to see them both eyeing me.

Icicle smirked. "She's Queen Bee's attack dog." He replied. "Queen Bee was pissed when she found out she had been captured. I wonder how pissed she'll be now when she finds out her attack dog failed _again_." The pair laughed and I rolled my eyes. Artemis glanced up at me and I just shrugged

Terror and Icicle's laughter died out. The captured three awoke with the groan. "Can't believe we didn't end Superboy when we had the chance!" Terror added.

"What do you expect? Boss fish still has a soft spot for his old team." Icicle growled, clearly both of their good moods had vanished. At least the annoying giggling had stopped.

Kaldur turned to Artemis and I, or rather to Artemis, as he was looking at her. "Do it." He commanded. My eyes widened in shock. _Did he mean what I think he meant?_

Artemis took off her mask, blond to us but looking different to the others, with a conflicted look on her face. "You sure?"

He looked away. "Do it." I could only watch in horror as Artemis pressed the button and the Cave exploded in front of us. I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my hands, trying to not let the gasp out of my mouth. I felt a hand squeezing mine gently and looked down to see Kaldur not meeting my eyes. His grip on my hand tightened, trying to be comforting but it wasn't.

_Kaldur, what have you done?_

* * *

><p><strong>Double update! (That is if you read my other YJ story).<strong>

**Wow, okay sorry about the long gaps between updates guys, I have been focusing all my energy into my other YJ story Catgirl as I want to get it finished before the summer ends, so this story isn't really the priority at the minute, sorry about that. But yeah, I hope you guys enjoyed that! Not a lot of Kalila, but I can promise you that there will be a lot in the next chapter. Like I am increasing it to an M next chapter because they have that much interaction. Also wish me luck, I've never written smut before. So yeah, this chapter was more of a filler than anything, but it leads to Lila being on Black Manta's ship so that's a good reason for it. **

**Taeniaea-Thank you!**

**JediKendalina- Thank you and I'm glad you enjoyed it! I hope you liked Shade as well!**

**Koren Flashblade- Was it what you expected? Let me know what you were thinking! Also sorry about the slow updates and I'm going to apologise in advance for however long it takes me to update with the next chapter. Also Thank you!**

**The-Moyashi- Thank you! I'm sorry for the slow update, like I said above. Although I think you're going to be even more excited for the next chapter!**


	8. Never Let Me Go

**There's smut at the bottom of this chapter, just warning you now. (Oh god help me)**

Chapter Eight

**Never Let Me Go**

Apart from the horrified shouts from the boys, no one reacted to the Cave being blown up. Artemis stood stiff and straight, staring ahead of her with a cold look on her face, one that matched Kaldur's. I could only watch the flames lick the sky, feeling horrified and physically ill. I was glad of the mask, as it hid my face and the tears that were threatening to spill. _Stop crying, you weak little girl._

We pulled into the manta sub and brought the captured three aboard, my stomach threatening to evacuate its contents. Kaldur had not met my eyes since that moment. We climbed aboard the sub and Kaldur was stopped by his father as he walked past. "Come with me." Manta commanded. "You too, Nightfall." I raised my eyebrows, but didn't comment. _Why did he want me to follow?_ We stopped outside his office, Manta telling me to wait outside while he and Kaldur went in.

I waited for about ten minutes, my boots tapping the floor absent-mindedly as my mind repeated the image of the cave blowing up. Seeing the orange glow paint the sky and watching it fall made me want to vomit or cry, probably both. That place had been like a home for me, and it had been a home for other, like Garfield. I just hoped Nightwing and Superboy were okay. They would be, right? Kaldur wouldn't blow up the Cave with them in there, right?

Right?

I hugged my arms, gripping them tightly as I tried to calm down. I was just overthinking this, they were probably fine, just a little battered, that's all. My friends were fine. All-

"Nightfall, come in. Queen Bee wishes to speak to you." Manta's voice snapped me out of my thoughts, making me look up at him. I nodded and entered the room to see Queen Bee glaring at me through screen. The Screen had been split into six but only Queen Bee occupied one. _It must be for The Light_.

After removing my mask and bowing to the Queen, I began to speak. "I am sorry for my failure, your majesty."

"Apologies will not do you much good now, Nightfall. I am very disappointed. Not only did you fail to recapture Fox, you also managed to get captured by the Justice League's brats." She said, her voice tight like she was trying to not roar at me.

"Will I try to capture Fox again?" I asked, hoping and praying that she would answer negatively.

"No." _Thank god._ Relief flooded through me. "The Justice League probably knows that we are after her and will be prepared if we make another attempt to take her, any time soon." She said. I bit the inside of my cheeks to stop the relieved smile from coming across my face, making blood fill my mouth as the skin broke.

"Though we may try again in a few months' time, when they think the threat is less serious." She added, sounding thoughtful. _Not if I can help it._

"Of course, my queen." I said. "When will I be returning to Bialya?"

"At the end of the month. You will be making yourself useful and assisting Black Manta with the shipments of cargo to his new partner." She replied.

"Yes, my queen." I said.

"And do not think this failure will go unpunished." She added. "Punishment is waiting for you in Bialya."

My throat went dry and it took all of my effort to not physically shake in fear._ No, no, no. _"Yes, my queen." I said, my voice quieter than before.

"Good. Do not disappoint me, Nightfall." With that, Queen Bee disappeared from the screen. I gulped, trying to get rid of the large lump in my throat.

"I will accompany her to her room, father." Kaldur said to Black Manta as I put my mask back on.

He nodded, before turning to me. "Shipments begin tomorrow. Any failures will be reported to Queen Bee."

I nodded. "Yes sir."

With that, Kaldur walked out of the room and I followed at his heels in silence. Panic and nausea started to twist through my stomach as the thought of punishment settled in my mind. I knew that I would be punished for failing to capture Aurora before this, but hearing Queen Bee confirm it made it even more real. The urge to vomit rose as images flickered in my mind, pain and blood and lashes. I could taste the foul bile in my throat.

We got into the room and the door slid shut, before I removed my mask and sped to the bathroom, throwing up in the toilet. Hands pulled the hair out of my face, making me try to pull them away. "Relax, it is just me." Kaldur said in a calming voice. I relaxed slightly before vomiting again. I sat back, curling up beside Kaldur as he wrapped his arms around me. He pressed his hand to my face, making me look up at him. "You are shaking."

"I-I-I'm fine." I said, still shaking.

"No, no you are not." He said, letting my head rest against his chest and rubbing soothing circles on my back. I leaned against his chest; the cool metal of his armour was soothing against my forehead. Even though I had about a million questions for him and was kind of angry, but mostly confused, about the Cave being blown up, being close to him soothed me and made me relax. "Are you alright, Lila?"

"I-I don't know." I stammered, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes to stop the tears that threatened to leak out. "I don't know." I breathed, pulling away from his chest and looking up at him.

He brushed the hair out of my eyes and sighed. "I have missed you." He said. He leaned down to kiss me and I pulled away, making him give me a confused look.

"You don't want to kiss me yet." I said. "I stink."

"I do not think I mind." Kaldur replied, planting kisses along my jaw and making my eye close. I let out a breathy sigh and it felt so-

Wait.

_Focus Lila_.

I put my hand against his chest and pushed him back. He looked down at me, raising his eyebrows. "I need to get the taste of vomit out of my mouth and take off my uniform and ask you about…." I trailed off, swallowing. "What happened to the Cave?"

The slight smile faded from his face. His eyes flicked away from my face, not wanting to meet my own eyes. "I know, I know. I will explain later. Do what you wish first." He said. I watched him go and bit my lip. I was still upset with him because of what happened to the cave, but seeing the exhaustion on his face and the slump of his shoulders, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, made the feelings fade. God, I hope his mission ended soon.

I let out a sigh and grabbed the unused toothbrush from the sink. I started to brush my teeth, eager to get the taste of vomit out of my mouth. I finished, spitting out the toothpaste, before I removed my uniform, leaving me in my underwear. I ran my hands through my hair and went back to Kaldur, who had taken off the top half of his uniform. My eyes flicked up and down, a slight smile coming across my face. "I didn't realise you were planning on staying." I said teasingly.

"Well, now you…" He had turned to face me and trailed off halfway through his sentence, his eyes going to my middle and down to my legs, staring at my scars in horror. _At least he hadn't seen my back yet._ I looked down, the smile fading from my face as he gave over to me. He traced my sides and He traced my sides and I couldn't meet his eyes. Instead, I stared at the wall behind him. "Oh Lila, what have they done to you?" He whispered.

I placed my hands on his neck and pulled him into a long kiss. It was softer than the one in the warehouse, less like we were trying to make up for lost time. I pulled back, leaning my forehead against his. "Don't focus on that." I whispered. "Focus on me. You have me tonight." I smiled softly at him.

He kissed me softly again. "Give me a moment." He replied, before stepping back. I went over to the bed and curled up in the covers as he pulled the lower half of his suit off.

My throat suddenly felt dry.

_Oh wow._

He turned around to face me and raised his eyebrow slightly. "Are you alright?" He asked.

I then realised I had been gaping at him.

_Keep it in your pants, Lila._

I coughed awkwardly, feeling my cheeks stained scarlet. "Yeah, yeah, fine, fine." I muttered, not meeting his eyes. My cheeks turned pinker as I heard him chuckle.

The ass.

He came into the bed beside me and we curled up together, my head leaning against his chest. He gave me a soft kiss and lapsed into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, before he kissed me again. I kissed back, rolling around so I straddled his lap, knees on either side of his hips. I put my hands on his neck, pulling him closer. He pulled back, allowing me to breath. "What was that for?" I asked breathlessly.

"I missed you." He said, before kissing me again. "I missed you." Kissed again. "So, so much." Kissed again. His hands slid up my sides as I deepened this kiss. He moved his lips away from mine, placing kisses down my neck. I let out a gasp as he found a particular sensitive spot on my throat. I pulled back, making him raise his eyebrows. I smirked slightly, before pulling off my sports bra. His eyes flicked down before he trailed kisses down my chest. "You are so beautiful." He said, punctuating every word with a kiss.

I let out a giggle as he reached under my breasts. I don't know why, I always found that spot ticklish. "That tickles!" I exclaimed. He chuckled, kissing the spot again. "You're ruining the moment Kal." He chuckled, pulling back to look at me with a slight smile on his face. "What are you looking at?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Making up for lost time." He said, before I pulled him into a kiss.

I pulled back, leaning my forehead against his. "That was such a cliché."

"You are, what's the phrase, ruining the moment, Lila." He replied, making me giggle.

"I try." I replied with a large smile. He chuckled, before suddenly rolling us over so he was on top of me. I let out a high pitched squeak in surprise, making him chuckle louder. He placed kisses along the centre of my chest, diverting his mouth to kiss my breasts. I gasped as his tongue flicked over my nipple, making me groan.

He moved his mouth to the scars on my stomach and it wasn't until he placed a soft kiss on the one on my shoulder, that I wanted to cry. _Oh god, I love him so much._ _I love you, I love you, I love you._

I could feel the happy tears burning in my eyes, just as Kaldur looked back up at me. He looked concerned, brushing his hand against my cheek. "Are you alright?" He asked. "We do not-"

I cut him off. "No, no, it's not that. I just- I love you so much." I rambled.

He just smiled softly, placing a gentle kiss on my lips. "I love you too." He replied, before he began to kiss down my chest again.

I smirked slightly before flipping over so I was on top, making him raise an eyebrow. I just smiled and grinded against his hips, making him groan before I slipped off his boxers and sank down onto his cock. I let out a gasp as I slipped down the hilt, just as he groaned out my name. "Fuck." I breathed, letting out a cry as his hips thrusted.

He sat up suddenly, wrapping his arms around me and sank his teeth into my shoulder, making me cry out as it pushed me towards the edge, before he traced his tongue over my throat. "_Kaaal_." I groaned, making him let out a breathy laugh against my throat. _Two could play at that game._

I leaned down to his throat, trailing my tongue up his gills. His hips bucked and I let out a whine, before I let out a breathy giggle. You have no idea how sensitive his gills are. They come in _very_ useful sometimes. I bit them gently, just enough to make him moan under me. "_Lila_." He groaned.

I giggled, brining my mouth to his ear. "Something wrong?" I asked mockingly. He response was another thrust to make me cry out.

I was _so close, _so close to the breaking point_. _ Kaldur gave one last thrust and I let out a loud cry, spiralling through my orgasm. Moments later, Kaldur let out a groan, before a full sensation hit me. We stayed like this for a few moments, his head still buried in my shoulder as we got our breath back. He leaned back slightly, taking in the bite mark on my shoulder, before he smirked slightly. I tipped my head to the side, raising my eyebrows. "Aren't you going to apologise?" I asked.

"Why?" He asked, matching my expression. "You sounded like you enjoyed it."

I pouted at him, before swatting his shoulder and making him chuckle. I slipped off him and slid down to his side, lying with my back to the wall and my head on his chest. Now that it was over, I just wanted to be close to him, feel his warmth before I had to go back to sleeping on my own. Lying there was a comfort, a comfort that I loved.

The sound of his heartbeat and steady breathing was comforting. I wished we could stay like this all night but I knew I had to address the elephant in the room.

Well, one of them anyway.

"Kaldur?" I said.

"Yes?" He replied.

"What happened to Tula?" I said, trying to be gentle. I knew how much Tula meant to Kaldur, they had been friends since they were small children. He had told me that there was a time when he had feelings for her, but by the time we started dating, the feelings had disappeared. Tula and I became friends when she joined the team, surprising pretty much everyone. Her death upset me too.

Kaldur let out a sigh, taking a few moments to answer the question. When he did answer, his voice was strained, like he was trying to not cry. "There-There was a mission." He gulped. "And-And Tula saved us all. By doing that….she died." He said, deciding to not reveal any more information. It must still hurt for him.

"When did it happen?" I asked. I didn't want to push it; I didn't want to put him through any more pain.

He gulped. "Last year."

"I'm sorry." I whispered, glancing up at him. He wiped at his eyes, so I leaned up and kissed his cheek gently.

"She died to save us all." He whispered, still not meeting my eyes. His hands gripped the sheets and I slipped my hand into his, making his grip softer. _Oh Kal._

"She was always so brave." I replied.

A soft smile came across his lips as he turned to face me. "Yes, she was. She always was." He turned to me, pulling me into his arms and burying his face into my neck. He muttered Atlantian into my neck, words that I actually did recognise as he had said it to me so often. I remembered even after the memory loss and the experiments and the pain.

"I love you too." I breathed.

* * *

><p><strong>OH GOD THAT WAS SO BAD I'M SO SORRY.<strong>

**But yeah, I hope the smut was….okay. The next couple of chapters will have a lot of Kaldur in them. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter out quicker. Idk guys, I think I was procrastinating writing the smut and after all that, it was still terrible. But yeah, hope that was okay.**

**SinistrousDelirious- Was it okay? Oh my god I was panicking about writing it so much.**

**The-Moyashi- Thank you! I hope it was okay!**

**Koren Flashblade- Yeah, I thought it would be the best place too. I was considering doing it earlier but I had no idea when to get her to the Manta sub. Thank you so much by the way!**


	9. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**I'm really sorry about this guys, but I'm going to have to put this story on hiatus. Inspiration has been lacking for this story and I want to take a hiatus just to see where this story is going. Thank you all for reviewing/favouriting/following and again, I'm sorry for the hiatus. **


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